According to local residents, the navy of the Military Council has reportedly arrested 62 Rohingya individuals aboard a boat in the waters near Hainggyi Island.
A military vessel from the Hainggyi Island Naval Station under the Military Council intercepted and arrested a boat driving in the waters near Hainggyi Island town, Ngaputaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region.
A local Muslim youth said, “Some minors were among those arrested, along with the boatmen. The navy also confiscated their phones and money. Although the exact list of detainees is still being verified, the complete information is not yet available.”
On May 5, 50 Rohingya men and 12 women who were on a boat were arrested.
After being captured, the 62 Rohingya were taken to Ngaputaw Township and housed in the garage of the town's water treatment plant.
Sources close to the administration have stated that the captured Rohingya are under investigation by both the Immigration and Population Department and the police.
The 62 arrested Rohingya have received food and other forms of social assistance from local Muslim religious organizations.
A member of the Myanmar Muslim Friendship Network said, "They are people who live in the rural areas of Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in Rakhine state. They are individuals who had to flee their homeland in order to survive due to the challenging nature of their livelihoods."
Local Muslim religious organization officials assisting the arrested Rohingya have stated that the majority of them came from refugee camps in Sittwe, Buthidaung, and Maungdaw regions.
An official from the Myanmar Muslim Youth Network has reported that political and military unrest in Rakhine State has resulted in the establishment of approximately 11 Rohingya refugee camps in Sittwe, Buthidaung, and Maungdaw townships, and has led to challenges in securing livelihoods and employment.
The Military Council navy arrested over 70 Rohingya individuals on April 19th, who had departed from refugee camps in Rakhine State, in the waters near Ngayokaung town, Ngaputaw Township.
The Ngaputaw Township Immigration and Population Department charged the over 70 arrested Rohingya with Section 63(a) of the Civil Registration Act, and on April 25, the Ngaputaw Township Court handed down a 2-year prison sentence to each individual.
