Deaths reported in junta crackdown on Sittwe cockfight

By DMG 12 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
12 October 2022, Sittwe

Fatalities were reported as Myanmar military soldiers and police raided a cockfight involving more than 100 people in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on October 7, subsequently filing charges against 18 detainees.

Some people died and others were injured as junta personnel opened fire at the crowd of nearly 150 people at the gambling grounds in Sittwe’s Sat Roe Kya Ward.

The regime claimed that one person died and another was injured in the shooting as “some people attempted to attack security forces with sticks and swords even after security personnel fired five warning shots in the air to scare them away.”

A resident refuted the regime’s claims. “People on the ground could not even move, not to mention fight them. They [military personnel] fired shots and started arresting people. I think they didn’t need to open fire,” the source said.

Junta-controlled newspapers on Wednesday reported that one person died, one was injured and 17 others were arrested during the cockfight crackdown. A vehicle, 41 motorbikes, four gamecocks, cellphones and some cash were seized, added the report.

The regime has opened cases against detainees at Sittwe police station, and the injured man is being treated at a local military hospital. The state-run newspapers, however, did not mention what charges the detainees face.

A witness said: “First, junta personnel came in small vehicles, then came soldiers in two military vehicles. At first, they shot with handguns, which was followed by continuous gunfire. People fled in fear. I saw one die with guts outside his body.”

An 88-year-old woman who lived near the gambling grounds reportedly died of a heart attack, frightened by the burst of gunfire.

“The couple lived alone. She is survived by her 93-year-old husband. We helped organise her funeral on October 8,” said a resident of Set Yoe Kya Ward.

Locals believe that more people were injured in the crackdown than official state media reports have indicated.