Myanmar military detains doctor in Taungup

By DMG 07 Sep 2022

DMG Newsroom
7 September 2022, Taungup 

The Myanmar military detained a doctor from Chaungkauk ward in Arakan State’s Taungup Township on Tuesday. 

Dr. Kyaw Thura was taken from his home to the military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 544 by a group of six men in civilian clothes after he sent his wife, who is a nurse, to a local hospital, according to an eyewitness. 

“Six men in plainclothes wore face masks. They were wearing civilian clothes, but I could tell by their hair that they were from the military. When they arrested and took the doctor, I followed them by motorbike. Six men in a car took the doctor to the Myanmar military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 544,” the eyewitness told DMG. 

Dr. Kyaw Thura is from Sittwe’s Mingan ward and has been living with his wife in Taungup for seven years. He is not a civil servant, but runs a private clinic. 

“We are worried about his safety because we have not been in contact with him [Dr. Kyaw Thura] since his arrest. We want him released as soon as possible because he is an innocent man,” the eyewitness said. 

It is unclear why the Myanmar military arrested Dr. Kyaw Thura and his whereabouts remain unknown. 

DMG attempted to contact Major-General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the regime, for comment on the military’s alleged detention of a healthcare worker, but he could not be reached.