June 23th, 2022
Myanmar Army arrested more than 20 locals including students in MraukU Township in Arakan State after the Arakan Army (AA) detained three members of the military intelligence on the evening of June 21st, according to locals.
The Myanmar army is conducting inspections near Alezay Bridge, the funeral services office and No.1 Basic Education High School. The military arrested locals and took them with the prison transport vehicle, a local from MraukU who declined to be named told the DMG.
“I saw the soldiers arresting passersby including three students near Alezay Bridge by the vehicle. I don’t know how many people the military arrested. The military also arrested a male student who was waiting for the bus near the funeral service office to go to Sittwe. In the morning, the military inspected the children near the school and arrested the people with their hands tied behind their backs,” she added.
The detainees were taken to another place. It is still unknown where the detainees are kept, according to locals.
“Of the detainees, a local from MraukU who is working as a masonry worker at Mahamuni Pagoda was freed. The rest is in detention,” the news source added.
Due to the arrests, some schools in MraukU Township are closed. Students from Maungtharkone, Kyauktwinkone and Zinkalakone villages don’t dare to go to the schools downtown.
“There is tension downtown. The markets open normally. There are a few buyers as the people don’t dare to go outside. The people from the villages don’t go downtown to buy materials. Some students go back home. The parents picked their children up from the schools. The students from the villages did not go to school,” a local man says.
Till now, the roads in MraukU remain silent. The soldiers have banned the cars plying between MraukU-Sittwe at Ngwetaungpauk gate.
The Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs is unavailable for comment about the arrests.
Sent by Aung Htein (DMG)