Tatmadaw detains six villagers in Kyauktaw Township

By Win Nyunt 22 Nov 2019

Win Nyunt | DMG
22 November, Sittwe

Six civilians from Meewa Village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State have been taken by a Tatmadaw troop at about 5 a.m. on 21 November.

Three residents from Meewa Village identified as U Kyaw Than, U Shwe Nu, and U Than Oo Hlaing who were sitting at a teashop, Ko Kyaw Soe Win and Ko Myo Oo from Mrauk-U Township, and Ko Nyi Nyi Aung from Mont Than Pyin Village were taken by the Tatmadaw column to serve as guides, said Mont Than Pyin Village Administrator U Sein Kyaw.

“The Tatmadaw took six men from a tea shop to guide them at around 5 a.m.,” the village-administrator said.

The Tatmadaw battalion entered Meewa Village and brought six civilians near the village. At the times there were no armed hostilities.

They have been taken to Kyaw Shui Pyin Village in Kyauktaw Township on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA), said U Sein Kyaw, quoting the family members of the detainees.

“I was told that the villagers are being detained on suspicion of having connections to the Arakan Army (AA) when I met with their family members,” he said.

The Tatmadaw’s Western Command Spokesperson Col Win Zaw Oo refuted the reports, saying no villagers were taken.

“The Tatmadaw troops didn’t arrest the villagers near Meewa Village,” Col Win Zaw Oo said.

Since fighting has intensified between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA), the number of local people who have been arrested by the Tatmadaw on suspicion of having links to the ethnic armed group has been increasing.

As a consequence of armed conflicts, the civilian death toll reached more than 80 and the number of injured people reached more than 120. Civilian casualties are rising significantly due to fighting that erupts in Arakan State on a daily basis.