About 60 Rohingya were arrested, for illegally leaving Rakhine State, in a forest, in Ayeyarwady Region’s Pathein Township on 7 April, according to a police officer from the Pathein Township police station.

According to him, they were apprehended in a forest near to U To Village in Chaungtha Town. There were 34 men, 17 women, and 9 underage children in the group who had come from Rakhine State with the help of people smugglers.

"They [Rohingyas] coming from Rakhine State had to pay 1.5 million Kyat to the smugglers to go to Yangon. We were informed that the two traffickers live in Rathedaung and ArkarThaung villages. It is not yet known about where the Rohingya lived and came from”, he added.

A human rights activist, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that he thinks the Rohingya must have paid money to junta troops to be able to travel through Rakhine State and Ayeyarwady Region.

Police officer Htun Shw from Ayeyarwady Region told Mizzima that the captured Rohingya are in the process of being charged, but he did not reveal where they are being held.

Under the 1982 Citizenship law, the Rohingya are not considered to be one of the indigenous races of Myanmar so they are not entitled to full citizenship. This means that there are severe restrictions on Rohingya freedom of movement, marriages, births and population control restrictions. These restrictions limit Rohingya access to health, education, livelihoods and family life.