Trial of Kyaukseik villagers continues as two more defence witnesses take stand

17 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
17 February 2022, Sittwe 

The long-running trial of five men from Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, who have been accused of having illegal ties to the Arakan Army (AA), continued at the Sittwe District Court on February 17. 

Four of 13 defence witnesses were examined on February 9, and another two were examined at the latest court hearing on February 17, their lawyer said. 

“Two defence witnesses from Ponnagyun were examined today. Seven defence witnesses have yet to be examined,” lawyer U Kyaw Nyunt Maung told DMG. 

The five defendants, from Ponnagyun Township’s Kyaukseik village and the surrounding area, were arrested on April 19, 2020. The following month, a video of the five villagers being beaten during interrogation by Myanmar military soldiers on board a boat during their detention was shared widely on social media. 

Ko Nyi Nyi Aung, Ko Aung Myo Lin, and Ko Maung Chay, all 24 years old and from Kyaukseik village, Ko Min Soe, 38, from Ponnagyun town, and Ko Kyaw Win Hein, 22, from Zeebingyi village, have been charged by Captain Tint Naing Tun from the military’s Ponnagyun-based Battalion 550. 

The case has been opened under Sections 50(j) and 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law. 

“I am sad because my son has been charged without making a mistake. If he had done something wrong, I could try to temper my distress by telling myself that he brought this upon himself. Now, I am distressed,” said Daw Khin Nyunt Yee, the mother of Ko Kyaw Win Hein.  

“When he was at home, we did not need to worry about food. I struggle now to be able to pay rent and electricity bills. I want to call for the immediate release of my son,” she added. 

The five men have remained behind bars for nearly two years as their trial has dragged on. 

Their next court hearing has been scheduled for March 3. 

In a February 12 gesture marking Union Day, Myanmar’s military regime released more than 40 people people who were detained and facing trial on charges related to alleged AA affiliations, but the Kyaukseik five were not among them. 

Instead, they are among about 70 people arrested in recent years on suspicion of illegal AA ties who have yet to be released, according to the author Wai Hin Aung, a former political prisoner who is monitoring the situation.