Students’ Union demands end to arrests and torture

19 Jul 2019

Khin Tharaphy Oo | DMG

19 July, Sittwe

The Arakan State Students’ Union demanded to stop wrongfully arrests and torture of students and civilians in their eleven-point statement released after their annual conference held in Thandwe in Arakan State for two days on 13 and 14 July.

Students also included a list of detained people arrested by the Tatmadaw for alleged ties with the Arakan Army, so they called for halting wrongful arrests and torture of students and civilians, said Ko Kyaw Naing Htay, information official of the Sittwe University Student’s Union.

“Innocent students have been arrested and tortured very often here. A Grade 11 student from Kyauktaw was arrested and tortured at the time his matriculation exam was about to start. In addition, other students have been facing extrajudicial detention for being involved with unlawful associations,” he said.

The Students’ Union also demanded to arrange for IDP students to pursue their education, and for military troops not to set up outposts in education and religious buildings. The students also want Mrauk-U to be acknowledged as a DMZ and to immediately stop offensive operations in ethnic people’s regions and resolve conflicts through political means.

The information official also said that the students’ union would proceed to do what they should do if proper authorities do not make any response to their demands.

“If the response we receive does not meet our expectations, we will wage protests or launch campaigns. If we have to confront with the authorities, there will be bad results,” he said.

The statement said that authorities concerned would have to take responsibility for the future consequences resulting from their failure to fulfill demands. Students from seven universities in Arakan State attended the conference.