Interview
Border News Agency
Mrauk-U, September 5
In July, the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) arrested 77 men and women in Kyauk Taw Township, which is controlled by the Arakha Army (AA), including seven members of the DLEPS group. They were accused of using, selling, and trafficking drugs.
Among them, 19 young students were officially returned to their families on August 11. Some other people were also released.
However, the remaining 17 people have not been released. Their families also cannot contact them. Because of this, the families held a press conference on September 3.
One family member explained what happened to Border News Agency.
“My brother’s name is Maung Maung Chay. We were talking at home when a car came and stopped in front of our house. They came to take him away. My brother asked, ‘What crime have I committed?’ They told him, ‘Get into the car. If you do not get in, we will hit you with the gun.’ So I told my brother, ‘Maung Maung Chay, get into the car,’ and he got in.”
“That night, when he arrived at the police station, I brought his clothes to him. For one or two days, I was able to send his clothes to him at the police station. I was not allowed to meet him directly. I had to give his clothes to someone else to pass to him.”
“Later, they moved him to another place. When we went to send food there, they did not accept it. They told us that he would be included when the students were released. But he was not among those who were released. Other people were taken to the police station, but he was not among them.”
“Those 17 people were completely left out. They seem to be hidden. They are mostly in their twenties or around 30 years old.”
“We asked different offices about them, but they did not tell us that he was in any of them. They said, ‘He is not in our offices. Even if he were here, you could not see him.’ They only told us that he was being detained.”
“I feel very sad because other people were released, but our people were not. We are also not allowed to see them. They told us that he was sent to a place for training. But when my brother had a medical check for the training, he did not pass.”
“He has hepatitis B. When he was living here, he had to visit a clinic and take medicine. We were also told that he is being beaten while he is at the training camp. I want my brother, Maung Maung Chay, and the other young people to be released as soon as possible.”
“We submitted letters to the offices, but they all rejected them. Because they were arrested on different days, some have now been detained for two months and some for three months. They have no reason to send them to a training camp because they have not committed any crime.”
“I want my brothers to be released, and I also want the other people to be released. Other people have been released, but we have completely lost contact with these 17 people.”
“Because they were sent to a training camp, I think they were arrested to make them join the military. But my brother did not even pass the medical check for military service.”
“We are not allowed to see them. We also send them food, but the authorities do not accept it. We are very worried about where they are and how they are being treated.”
