Four villagers in Ponnagyun Twsp detained by military

By DMG 12 Nov 2022

DMG Newsroom
12 November 2022, Ponnagyun

Junta soldiers on Saturday detained four residents in Tankhoe Village, part of Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township, local sources close to the matter told DMG. 

Regime troops from a Myanmar Navy vessel at the mouth of a creek near Tankhoe entered the village at around 10 a.m. and abducted six residents, interrogating the detainees near the village’s football grounds, eyewitnesses told DMG. 

Of the six detainees, four were taken to Ponnagyun town at about 4 p.m., said a resident of Tankhoe Village who did not want to be named for security reasons. 

The four have been identified as U Maung Win Kyaing, 56; U Maung Thein, 51; U Oo Maung Thein, 48; and U Georgi Aung, 50. There are reports that some villagers from neighbouring Kywhtoe Village have also been arrested. DMG continues to investigate those reports in an effort to confirm them.  

Residents of Kywhtoe Village have reportedly fled to safer locations as some junta soldiers also entered the village at about 12 noon on Saturday. 

Regime troops looted food from some grocery shops in the village and left the village at around 3 p.m., said a local resident of Kywhtoe Village who declined to be named. 

“A villager was released at around 3 p.m. after he was used as a porter. Junta soldiers looted liquor bottles, beer cans and food from some groceries in the village, and domestic animals such as chickens,” the unnamed local added. 

DMG attempted to contact regime spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun and Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs Colonel Kyaw Thura regarding the matter, but they could not be reached. 

Seven residents of Ponnagyun Township who were arrested by junta troops on the night of November 9 were released on Friday, according to family members.