Junta forces arrest former Sittwe ward administrator, several family members

The military junta has arrested a former ward administrator along with several family members from Sittwe in Rakhine State.

U Thein Shwe Maung, a former ward administrator of block (1) in Ma Kyee Myaing ward under Sittwe township along with his two daughters, two sons-in-law and two granddaughters were arrested from their residence.

An administrator from Sittwe informed Narinjara News that they were picked up at around 9:30 pm on 24 March.

"He is a former administrator. One of his sons claimed that the junta suspected him to be associated with the ULA/AA. The entire family was apprehended by a group of 30 soldiers. One granddaughter is still in her adolescent years," he added.

The administrator expressed his concern for those in custody.

"I'm not sure if they were taken to the 20th infantry battalion or the police station. No reasons were cited for the arrest. Their current whereabouts are not known,” he stated.

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The residents alleged that junta soldiers and police personnel frequently arrested the passengers travelling by boats from Sittwe to rural areas. The young, middle-aged and even elderly men from rural areas were also detained showing no apparent reason.

Since the junta forces resorted to artillery shelling on urban areas including the markets in Sittwe from February, at least 30 innocent people died and many  residents fled to nearby areas.