Residents, Including Former MPs, Flee Buthidaung Township Following Reports of Impending Arrests

 Numerous residents in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State, including former members of parliament, are fleeing due to reports indicating that regime troops intend to arrest them.

U Aung Thaung Shwe, a former member of parliament from Buthidaung Township, informed Narinjara, "The Military Council troops are currently entering the town and apprehending individuals.

They detain and interrogate people. Also there are reports suggesting that more arrests may occur in a similar manner. I have heard that the Military Council intends to arrest at least 40 or more people in the town, alleging their association with the AA."

Reports indicate that among the arrest warrants issued in Buthidaung Township, former member of parliament U Aung Thaung Shwe, along with several other MPs and a majority of the town's social activists, are included.

U Aung Thaung Shwe added that among those facing imminent arrest are individuals who have previously been charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. He mentioned that they are currently fleeing after learning about the news of their impending arrest.

"We had previously filed cases under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act against activist residents of the town, including Pyithu Hluttaw representatives. Now, as these individuals are about to be arrested, we find ourselves compelled to flee," he explained.

Narinjara has not been able to obtain the list of residents slated for arrest by the Military Council.

U Aung Thaung Shwe remarked that the Military Council, facing the AA's offensive attack in Rakhine State and experiencing significant defeats in the clashes, is resorting to its routine of 'burning one's house to get rid of the mice' strategy against the public.

"This is the junta's routine, a practice that dates back to previous times. They initiate actions against the public akin to 'burning one's house to get rid of the mice.' They employed the 'Four Cuts' strategy, making arrests. Now, their focus is increasingly on the public, taking them as hostages. It is evident that the Military Council is not adhering to international humanitarian law and the laws of war. This is why they have been classified as a terrorist military group. I anticipate that the more they oppress, the stronger the people's resistance will become," he said.

Likewise, in Maungdaw Township, a few days ago, the Military Council displayed pictures on lampposts with the intention of arresting numerous individuals.

In Rakhine State, the Military Council has been consistently arresting civilians, with approximately 100 individuals detained from November 13 to November 25.