Local residents in Arakan State are calling for the release of family members detained by the military on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA) during the latest round of clashes between the two sides, which came to a halt with an informal ceasefire on November 26.
Myanmar’s military regime detained 324 “innocent civilians” during the last two months of the fighting, which took place from August through November, AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha told a press conference on November 28. At the time of his remarks, only 85 had been released and the 239 others remained in custody, U Khaing Thukha said.
Ko Zaw Win, a prominent social activist from Kyauktaw Township, was detained in June and charged under Section 505(a) of Penal Code. He was not, however, among those who were released in a regime amnesty marking Myanmar’s Independence Day on January 4.
“I could not sleep the whole night on January 3. I had hoped that he would be released. But hewas not. I wish for him to be released as soon as possible,” his wife, Daw Khin Hla Zan, told DMG.
The regime and the AA engaged in some negotiations ahead of Independence Day for the release of Arakanese residents detained by the Myanmar military, according to sources.
A total of 308 prisoners were released from prisons in Arakan State on January 4. However, none of those detained over their alleged ties to the AA was freed.
Civilians detained during the fighting from August to late November have most commonly been charged with incitement and unlawful association. Activists, ward and village administrators, government employees and local residents are among those who remain behind bars.
Ma Nu Than Yin, the sister of Ko Khin Zaw, who was charged under the Unlawful AssociationsAct, said: “Our mother had hoped he would be released on Independence Day. However, he wasn’t. My brother is innocent. We hope that he will be released on Union Day [February 12], when the regime is supposed to grant an amnesty again to commemorate Union Day.”
The AA and Myanmar military have reportedly exchanged a handful of prisoners of war in recent days. The two sides exchanged eight prisoners of war in rural Ponnagyun Township on\ January 3, the eve of Independence Day.
Meanwhile, dozens of village administrators have returned to their posts at the request of the AA after they initially submitted resignation letters in November and December, citing pressures from both sides. The Myanmar military welcomed the AA’s intervention.
