Five men from Kyaukseik village and its vicinity in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township, who have been accused of illegal ties to the Arakan Army (AA), appeared before the Sittwe District Court on March 31.
A defence witness for one of the Kyaukseik villagers, Ko Maung Chay, was examined during Thursday’s hearing, and the court scheduled the next hearing for April to question another defence witness, according to U Kyaw Nyunt Maung, an attorney involved in the case.
“The court examined a defence witness for Ko Maung Chay during the hearing. A carpenter from Kyaukseik village testified that Ko Maung Chay was one of his coworkers,” the lawyer elaborated.
Eight out of 13 defence witnesses in the case have been examined. Of the remaining five, one has since died, another is ill, and one was dismissed as a witness, leaving only two to be examined as defence witnesses, U Kyaw Nyunt Maung added.
The five defendants, all from Ponnagyun Township’s Kyaukseik village and the surrounding area, were arrested on April 19, 2020. They have been charged by Captain Tint Naing Tun from the military’s Ponnagyun-based Battalion No. 550 under Sections 50(j) and 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.
The five men are Ko Nyi Nyi Aung, Ko Aung Myo Lin, and Ko Maung Chay, all 24 years old and from Kyaukseik village; Ko Min Soe, 38, from Ponnagyun town; and Ko Kyaw Win Hein, 22, from Zeebingyi village in Mrauk-U Township. They have been on trial for nearly two years, and family members have asked the presiding judge to speed up their legal proceedings.
“They have been on trial for almost two years. We want the court to hear the case as soon as possible. I want to ask the judge to complete this case during Thingyan,” said Daw Ni Ni Aye, the mother of one of the Kyaukseik defendants, referring to the Myanmar new year.
In a February 12 gesture marking Union Day, Myanmar’s military regime released more than 40 people who were detained and had been facing trial on charges related to alleged AA affiliations, but the Kyaukseik five were not among them.
More than 70 people are currently facing trial and remain behind bars in various prisons for alleged AA ties, according to figures compiled by local civil society organisations.
