Relatives concerned over fate of detained Byaing Phyu villagers

By Admin 27 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 June 2024, Sittwe

Hundreds of villagers were detained when junta troops raided Byaing Phyu Village, Sittwe Township, in late May. Relatives say they still cannot contact more than 150 detainees and have expressed concerns for their safety.

Junta troops raided Byaing Phyu Village on May 29, arresting hundreds of villagers and massacring nearly 80. More than 300 villagers were detained for investigation. After two weeks in junta custody, during which many villagers are said to have been tortured, 60 were released. The regime opened cases against 50 others, while over 150 others remain detained on unclear legal grounds.

A relative of one detainee said: “I have lost contact with him since he was abducted by the military. It is nearly a month now. I just want to know if he is still alive or not.”

The detained Byaing Phyu villagers were reportedly held at Infantry Battalion No. 20 and the Regional Operations Command in Sittwe. Family members say they dare not enquire about them at those battalions for fear that they might be arrested too.

“My uncle was arrested,” said a resident of Byaing Phyu Village. “Those who have been released said they hadn’t seen him. He was also not on the list of those killed. I heard that he was kept at battalions in Sittwe. However, I dare not go and confirm. I am concerned that I might also be harmed.”

On June 8, witnesses reported spotting over 20 unidentified, blindfolded corpses in a creek near Aung Taing Village, located close to the junta’s battalion headquarters 10 miles west of Sittwe on June 8. DMG could not independently verify whether the slain victims were Byaing Phyu villagers.

Meanwhile, 25 of the 50 villagers prosecuted had to be admitted to Sittwe Hospital for injuries they sustained during the junta’s interrogations. Two of them have died.

“We don’t know where the other detainees are being kept,” said a formerly detained villager who has since been released. “In our case, we were put in a dark cell at the regional operations command. We were starved and beaten and asked if we had ties to the Arakkha Army (AA), and if AA troops had stayed in our village.”

The regime has been targeting civilians in Sittwe with arbitrary arrests as it prepares a defence against the AA’s attacks.