5 Kyaukphyu residents including women and student arrested

The junta forces have  arrested five residents including four women and a student from Kyaukphyu township of  Rakhine State on Saturday.

The arrested women include Daw Wai Wai, Daw Thein Aung Sein, Daw Aung Phyu, etc. They were arrested from a nearby area to Ka Nyin Taw school by 11:30 pm on 30 March.

"They opted for a cheap route to come out of the town, where passengers need to pay on the basis of routes. As they are facing hardships, the people prefer cheap routes and thus get arrested. Even if they pay, they still face the risk of apprehension,” said  a reliable source.

 A resident from Kyaukphyu explained the struggles of local communities as they have to pay Kyats  60,000 to 100,000 per person to the junta soldiers to get the travel permission.

"There are trenches and the soldiers are roaming around Kyaukphyu. The travel costs have increased recently. The checkpoint at Kyauk Ta Lone is particularly difficult as the prices escalate from Kyats 70,000 to 100,000  if one travels to rural areas. It's been going on for over three  months now. The vendors are also struggling as they have to pay hefty amounts to sell their products. So they seek cheaper or free routes. If they avoid the payment, soldiers come to the market area to extort money. It’s apprehended that the Kyaukphyu-based  soldiers and police personnel are now transferring a huge amount of money (to the tune of  Kyats 4-5 million) to their families every day," said a resident.

Half of Kyaukphyu population has already fled to safer places due to the intensified military preparations in their locality.

Since November 2023, the junta forces have blocked all the land and waterways in Rakhine State. Despite the ban on travel, some individuals resorted to bribery for movement in need.