Mansam resident Sai Aik Lwal told SHAN that a group of over 50 armed men arrived in Mansam Group in Namtu Township last week and began going door to door arresting suspects.

“The armed group clad in civilian clothes came with a list of opium users and their addresses. They knocked on the door and started arresting them at 7 pm and then left the village at 10 pm in the direction of Manmai. They were driving a small black four-wheel drive vehicle.”

Mansam Group located about 30 miles west of Lashio is made up of eight wards with a population of about 4000 dispersed over 700 households.

Daw Par Nan, a Mansam resident, said that arbitrary arrests of this kind are actually quite common in the area.

“Armed groups often come to arrest them (suspects) on charges of using and selling drugs. Some people were arrested even though they didn’t use or sell drugs. Ransoms of up to 10 million kyats (about US$8,414) has been paid for their release. They (the armed men) spoke in Shan. We believe they are from the SSPP (Shan State Progress Party) Brigade 1.”

Most of the time she believes the targeted men are actually using or selling drugs.

Drugs in in Namtu Township are inexpensive. A yaba tablet costs only 400 kyat (about US34 cents) not much more than the cost of a cup of tea--perhaps contributing to the increase of drug users in the area.

Reporting by Hwan Hein for SHAN
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited by BNI staff