Families concerned for four missing ethnic Thet people

By Admin 21 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
21 December 2024, Mrauk-U

The whereabouts of four ethnic Thet people from Magyigone Village in Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township are still unknown since they disappeared around six months ago.

The four went missing in June when fighting flared up in Maungdaw Town, according to family members.

DMG has identified two of them as Ko Tun Sein Aung, 28, and U Done Yi, 53. The names of the two other missing men are still unknown.

In the second week of June, Ko Tun Sein Aung returned to his village from Maungdaw. He was barred from leaving the town. Together with his brother-in-law and two guides, he took another route.

On their way, they fled in different directions after hearing gunshots. Ko Tun Sein Aung’s brother managed to return, but Ko Tun Sein Aung did not.

One family member of Ko Tun Sein Aung said: “We still don’t know if he is alive or where he is being detained. We still can’t find a clue.”

Another ethnic Thet man, U Done Yi, was arrested by junta soldiers when he went to collect betel nuts in June.

Family members have concerns for their safety as many Maungdaw civilians were killed by junta soldiers during the fighting.

“Family members want to know whether missing persons are still alive, and where they are being kept,” said another woman.

Though junta troops have been driven out of Maungdaw, Muslim armed groups like the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) are still active in the area, posing threats to the safety of locals.