Verdict postponed for four Taungup Twsp men facing terrorism charges 

By DMG 30 Mar 2021

DMG Newsroom
30 March 2021, Taungup 

A ruling in the case of four people — including the chairman of the Taungup Township Development Committee — charged with terrorism has been postponed, according to a lawyer representing the defendants. 

A verdict for the accused was scheduled for March 30, as all witnesses had been questioned in the case. 

However, the court rescheduled the hearing for April 12 because the court was not ready to rule on the case, said Daw Theingi Maung, a defence lawyer representing the accused.

“The judge did not prepare for the final verdict in the court, so the case was adjourned until April 12,” said Daw Theingi Maung. 

In May of last year, U San Ngwe, who was at the time serving as the township development committee chairman, was arrested along with vice chairman of the Arakan National Party in Taungup Township, U Wai Thaung; former township development committee chairman U Zeya Kyaw; and his brother U Sithu Kyaw Zan. They were accused of having ties to the Arakan Army and supplying food to the ethnic armed group, and were ultimately charged under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.  

The four have been on trial for more than 10 months and have been summoned 25 times. Since they were first arraigned, the Arakan Army has been removed from the military regime’s list of terrorist groups, though it remains an unlawful association. 

“Family members of the accused hope they will be released soon. We are very sorry for what happened today. We want the case to be completed as soon as possible,” said Daw San San Aye, the wife of U San Ngwe. 

A total of 362 people were arrested on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army during two years of fighting with the Tatmadaw in Arakan State that spanned approximately December 2018 to November 2020, according to Thazin Legal Institute. 

Seventy-eight of them — one from Mrauk-U District, four from Kyaukphyu District, one from Maungdaw District, 67 from Sittwe District and five from Thandwe District — have so far been released due to lack of evidence. 

Family members hope that those charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law will be released after the State Administration Council, as the military government describes itself, delisted the Arakan Army as a terrorist group on March 11.