Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, September 3.

Two inmates escaped from Kyauktaw Prison, which is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), on August 28, according to confirmations from some Kyauktaw residents and police officers.

Locals said that the escapees included 35-year-old Nyi Nyi Soe from Pyine Chaung village, Kyauktaw Township, who had been accused of committing a robbery and murder on the night of July 24, stealing gold and cash, along with another man.

They added that Nyi Nyi Soe had already confessed to the robbery and murder and was being held in prison, making his escape a matter of serious concern and raising questions among the public.

A relative of the murder and robbery victim from Pyine Chaung village, Kyauktaw Township, told Border News Agency, “We believe some lower-ranking police officers took bribes and let him go. Otherwise, how could the suspect, whose case is still under investigation, escape while still wearing inmate shackles? This raises serious questions.”

On July 24, Daw Win Nu Yi, a woman in her fifties from Pyine Chaung village, Kyauktaw Township, was murdered during a robbery in which four gold pieces and 1.5 million kyats were stolen.

The murder and robbery suspect, 35-year-old Nyi Nyi Soe, is originally from Kyarnyo Pyin village on the other side of the Kalatan River but was living in Pyine Chaung village with his family.

He was arrested by the Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security (DLEPS) in Pyine Chaung village on July 31.

However, about a month later, on August 28, he escaped from the detention cell of the Department of Legal Enforcement and Public Security (DLEPS) in Kyauktaw Township together with another detainee, according to local residents and some police officers.

A family member of Daw Win Nu Yi told Border News Agency, “I want to question how a suspect under investigation could escape while still in leg irons. The suspect himself has already confessed to the murder, and there is also supporting evidence.”

Family members of Daw Win Nu Yi are urging the Arakan People’s Authority to quickly re-arrest the perpetrator and impose the maximum punishment.

Locals in Arakan criticize that in AA-controlled areas, cases of theft, robbery, murder, sexual assault, and attempted assault occur frequently, but it is rare to see perpetrators being properly identified, arrested, and held accountable.

Locals say that in most of these cases, perpetrators are neither identified nor punished, and instead, in some instances, many suspects are rounded up and subjected to lengthy investigations.

Police officers under the Arakan People’s Authority point out that the growing number of such incidents and the failure to effectively arrest offenders are due to weak rule of law in AA-controlled areas, a lack of qualified police and judicial staff, and an insufficient number of police personnel.

In addition, locals criticize that many police and judicial staff do not handle cases fairly, instead showing favoritism or engaging in bribery, which further weakens the proper enforcement of justice in such cases.