Out of more than 100 people who have been arrested on suspicion of having connections with the Arakan Army (AA) and were being detained and questioned in Sittwe prison, the majority of incarcerated people are in need of medicine, food and clothing because their family members are also currently taking shelter at IDP camps, according to Ko Mayu Tun who helps the accused.
Some detainees are suffering from fever and healthcare services are poor because there is no doctor in Sittwe prison, he said.
“I also once served a sentence in prison. Some inmates are susceptible to severe fever. The healthcare services for prisoners are poor because there is no prison doctor there. A private doctor offers medical treatment to inmates once a week. Prisoners queue to see the doctor. I would like to request the prison officials to post a permanent doctor to the prison,” he said.
A call to the officials from Sittwe Prison to seek confirmation of the news wasn’t immediately available.
He urged the public to furnish the detainees with food and medicine as humanitarian assistance.
Approximately 130 people have been detained on suspicion of ties with Arakan Army (AA) since early December 2018, according to sources from the Arakan State lawmakers.
