Junta releases two of three administrators detained after Paletwa Twsp fighting 

By DMG 30 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
30 May 2022, Paletwa, Chin State 

Two 10-household heads from Paletwa Township’s Abaung Thar village who were detained after regime forces clashed with the Arakan Army (AA) on May 26 have been released, but an administrator arrested along with them is still being held, locals said. 

Junta soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion No. 289 detained the two 10-household heads and the Abaung Thar village administrator the same day that the fighting in Chin State occurred. 

The 10-household heads were released on Saturday evening, but the village administrator, U Thar Tun Aung, has not been released to date, according to a villager. 

“They were held without food. They were reportedly locked in separate rooms,” a villager told DMG on condition of anonymity. 

“The two men were reportedly not beaten by junta soldiers. However, locals are worried that they will be arrested by the junta soldiers,” the unnamed resident added. 

The 10-household heads have been identified as U Thar Ni Aung and U Aung Tun.  

“The two 10-household heads weren’t sent back by the junta soldiers. They walked home on their own,” said a resident of Kantlay village. 

Major-General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the State Administration Council, was not available for comment. 

Paletwa Township is located in southern Chin State, bordering Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, and has been a hotbed of tensions between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army for the past few years.