Two Yoetayote villagers held by Tatmadaw

15 Jul 2019

Kyaw Thu Htay | DMG

15 July, Sittwe

Two men from Yoetayote village in Ponnagyun Township were held by the Tatmadaw on 15 July, family members told the DMG.

U Tun Win and U Than Shwe were apprehended but the cause of the detention is not known yet, said Daw Sein Win Phyu, mother of U Tun Win. 

“Soldiers asked which house belonged to U Tin Win, then entered the house and detained them. I ran after them, but I couldn’t catch up to them,” she said.

They were detained by No. 22 Brigade and are currently being held at the ordination hall in Shwe Min Si pagoda near Yoetayote village, according to local residents.

The DMG phoned Colonel Win Zaw Oo from the Western Command for information concerning the detention, but he denied that the Tatmadaw villagers.

“The usage “the Tatmadaw detains villagers” makes me feel uncomfortable. You never ask the AA about when they take villagers. I’d like to know about it. We did not arrest (villagers) or hold them against their will,” the military officer said.

Currently, the Tatmadaw has detained villagers accused of affiliating with the AA and has investigated some villages on the suspicion that AA members have been present posing as villagers.