Military arrests two Taungup men

By DMG 01 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
1 October 2022, Taungup

Junta soldiers and police reportedly detained two residents of Gutar Ward in Taungup, Arakan State, on Friday afternoon.

The arrestees have been identified as U Aung Mra Thein, 30, and U Aung Chay, 33. The two men were taken from their homes by six policemen and around 20 junta soldiers, said a fellow resident of Gutar Ward.

“Two men were arrested by a combined squad of junta soldiers, police from the Taungup police station and ward administrators at around 12:30 [p.m.] on September 30 under the pretext of checking for overnight guests,” the resident said. “Regime officials conduct overnight guest checks at night. But the two men were arrested under the pretext of checking for overnight guests during the daytime.”

It was not immediately clear why the two men were detained. When DMG contacted U Win Aung, the administrator of Gutar Ward, for comment on the matter, he hung up the phone after saying that he didn’t know the reason for the arrests.

“We are concerned for our safety because we can be arrested even in our home. The entire town is now silent and only university students dare go outside,” said another Taungup resident.

At least nine residents have been arrested by the junta in Taungup Township since September 17. As arrests have climbed across Arakan State in recent months, the regime has provided little explanation for the spate of detentions, though observers say the trend is likely linked to a resumption of hostilities between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army.