On June 4, about 90 political prisoners from Sittwe Prison in Rakhine State were transferred to Yangon, according to local sources. The political prisoners were taken to Sittwe Airport and flown to Yangon on a Junta-owned Y8 aircraft.
A well-informed source told DMG, “Inmates packed onto three prison trucks, were taken out from Sittwe Prison and transferred to prisons in Yangon. This move by the Junta could be a pre-emptive measure due to the potential takeover of Sittwe by the Arakan Army (AA). Perhaps more transfers may occur in the coming days.
In Sittwe Prison, over 100 political prisoners are held under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Association Act, Section 505(A) of Sedition, and Sections 50(A) and 50(J) of the Terrorism Act.
“Some of the prisoners who arrived were handcuffed, but others were not. There may be around 90 in total. They were flown to Yangon at around 4:00 pm,” a Sittwe Airport source told DMG.
Arakan Army (AA) has declared its intention to continue its offensives until it seizes control of Maungdaw, Sittwe, Ann, Thandwe, Kyaukphyu, Taungup, Manaung, and Gwa townships in Rakhine State, which are all currently under the Junta's authority.
“We are very worried about their sudden transfer. We are also concerned that the Junta might force them into military service. When the political prisoners were in Sittwe, they were close to us, which was somewhat reassuring. Now that they have been transferred to Yangon, we are very anxious about what will happen next”, a family member of a transferred inmate said.
DMG contacted U Hla Thein, the Junta's spokesperson for Rakhine State, for more information on the matter but did not receive a response.
