Military arrests pair of social activists in Maungdaw

By DMG 15 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
15 October 2022, Maungdaw 

Two members of the Garuna Network, a local charity in Arakan State’s Maungdaw, were arrested by the Myanmar military late Friday night, with one of them reportedly released the next day. 

Junta soldiers abducted U Oo Hla Thein, 35, treasurer of the Garuna Network, and his brother-in-law Ko Aung Mrat Nyein, 25, from their home. Ko Aung Mrat Nyein was released at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, an official from the charity told DMG. 

“They [junta soldiers] arrested U Oo Hla Thein under the pretext of overnight guest checks at around 11 p.m. on October 14. They also took Ko Aung Mrat Nyein for questioning, but he was released this morning,” the charity official added. 

The charity office in Maungdaw was closed temporarily on Saturday following the military’s detention of the two members of the organisation. 

The Garuna Network official said the military has been arresting social activists, and that the network has stopped doing social assistance because they feel insecure. 

“Social activists across the country feel insecure because of the military’s unjust detention of philanthropists. So we stopped doing social activities,” the official added. 

DMG phoned Colonel Kyaw Thura, Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs, and Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the regime, regarding the military’s detention of the two men in Maungdaw, but they could not be reached. 

The Garuna Network in Maungdaw Township has been working on funeral services and emergency relief work regardless of race since August 1, 2018, according to the charity’s mission statement. 

Myanmar’s military regime has recently stepped up its arrests of civilians of various occupations and from several Arakan State townships on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army, amid renewed fighting with the Arakanese ethnic armed group.  

While a majority have been released, many have not. At least 140 people were arrested on suspicion by the military in the three-plus months from June 2022 to September 21, of which more than 60 people have not been released so far, according to a tally by DMG. 

U Kyaw, a 67-year-old pharmacy owner from Mrauk-U’s Myoma Market and a member of the Yadanarpala social foundation who was arrested by the military on October 1, was also released on October 4. U Kyaw Nyunt, a 54-year-old philanthropist with Mrauk-U’s Yadanarpala social foundation who was detained by the military and police on October 6, was released the following day. 

Myanmar’s military regime has opened a case against the well-known social activist Ko Ann Thar Gyi under Section 505(a) of Penal Code for incitement. Ko Ann Thar Gyi was travelling to Mrauk-U as part of a trip to provide relief supplies for internally displaced people (IDPs) when junta troops belonging to Light Infantry Battalion No. 540 fired shots at his vehicle at a security checkpoint at the entrance to Mrauk-U on September 16.