Myanmar Army handed over 15 villagers to the police around one week after their arrest on the suspicion of maintaining links with Arakan Army (AA).
According to the reliable sources, 10 villagers were handed over at Ann township police station and five villagers were released at Kyauk Taw township police station on 20 November.
Among those 10 villagers, five individuals hail from Wra Thaya village under Meabon township, two individuals from Panay Daung village under the same township, two individuals from Thalu Maw village under Ann township and another individual from Ruu village under the same township.
The five Wra Thaya villagers were arrested by a column of Myanmar security forces from their village on 14 November soon after fighting between Tatmadaw and AA members broke out.
Another five villagers were arrested from Ye Boke village under Ann Township after intercepting their movement from one village to another by motorbikes.
The other five villagers, who were released at Kyauk Taw township police station, were also arrested on 14 November from their localities after the Kyauk Taw based commander-in-chief battalion no 374 died in a landmine attack, which was allegedly engineered by AA members on the previous day.
All those arrested individuals were allegedly tortured by the security force personnel during their interrogations. Among them, one arrestee named Maung La Raung was admitted in Kyauk Taw township hospital soon after he was handed to the police.
