Family worried over health worker’s missing after junta’s arrest

Narinjara News, 8 July 2022

Family members of a health worker hailing from  Maungdaw township in Rakhine State are worried as they have no contact with him for  20 days after he was picked up by the military official with allegations of supplying mosquito nets to the Arakan Army.

The detainee has been identified as Saw Min Naing (38), a health worker from the Malaria department of the township.

He was abducted by the junta intelligence personnel on 19 June while arriving at the Sittwe health department office.

“We have not had any information about him since he was taken away by the junta personnel. We do not know where he is now. Now it has been almost 20 days since he was arrested,” said a family member.

Now they come to know that  Saw Min Naing  has been shifted to the national capital city of Naypyidaw for interrogation.

"I could meet the governor of the health department three times. He said Saw Min Naing was in good condition in a battalion camp. But I am not in touch  with the governor for some days now,” added the member.

A health worker in Maungdaw district hospital, who wanted anonymity, claimed that it is a normal practice for the Malaria health workers to travel rural areas to distribute mosquito nets in the rainy season.

“I do not think he supplied medical mosquito nets to AA members. It must be a false accusation by the authorities,” asserted the health worker.

Currently, the Rakhine civilians have been arrested in large numbers by the authority for maintaining links with the AA, but many of them have gone missing.