Two long-detained Kyauktaw Twsp villagers charged under Unlawful Associations Act

By DMG 05 Nov 2022

DMG Newsroom
5 November 2022, Kyauktaw 

An internally displaced person (IDP) and another local man in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, who had been detained by the military for some three months before being transferred to police custody this week, have reportedly been charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. 

U Kyaw Hein, a 40-year-old traditional medicine practitioner from Kavi Yadana displacement camp, and U Maung Saw Thar, a motorcycle taxi driver from Thayettapin village in Kyauktaw Township, were charged under the Unlawful Associations Act the day after they were transferred to the Kyauktaw Myoma police station on November 3, according to sources close to the accused. 

Daw Aye Than, the wife of U Kyaw Hein, said she heard about the case being filed against the pair through her husband, adding that she was saddened by the news, particularly given the seriousness of the charges brought against the two men.  

Those found guilty under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act face up to three years in prison. 

“The police didn’t tell me about the case opened against the duo. I was told by my husband about the charge when I sent food to him. I don’t know the plaintiff,” Daw Aye Than told DMG.  

U Kyaw Hein was injured during interrogation and wants medical treatment, his wife added. 

“My husband told me that he sustained injuries to his nose and chest as he was tortured during the military’s interrogation. I bought medicine for him when I sent food to him yesterday. He told me that the police didn’t allow him to receive medical treatment,” she explained. 

The pair are scheduled to appear in court on November 17, according to family members. DMG attempted to contact Police Captain Khin Maung Than, chief of the Kyauktaw Myoma police station, regarding the matter, but he could not be reached. 

U Kyaw Hein went missing while returning to Kavi Yadana displacement camp after providing medical treatment to a patient from neighbouring Kangyishin IDP camp on the night of July 19. Until he was transferred to police custody this week, family members had not seen or heard from him since he went missing more than three months ago. 

U Maung Saw Thar was arrested after he transported two passengers to the Mahamuni Buddha statue in Kyauktaw on August 1. He too had not been in contact with his family since his arrest.