Dozens of Malaysia-bound Muslims from Arakan State arrested in Gwa Twsp

By DMG 27 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
27 October 2022, Gwa

Forty-six Muslims attempting to leave Arakan State for work opportunities in Malaysia were arrested by regime authorities in Gwa Township on Wednesday morning.

The 28 men and 18 women were detained in a forest near Bawdi Village in Arakan State’s Gwa Township at around 10 a.m. on October 26, said Ko Soe Oo, a village clerk.

“They [the detainees] are reportedly from Maungdaw and Sittwe townships, and were brought by a human trafficker. They have been near the village for 12 days and they were left there by a truck driver. When they came to the street begging because they were hungry, the relevant authorities came and arrested them,” he said.

The detainees are being held and interrogated at the township police station, said a local police officer.

“They reportedly had to pay K8 million each to two human traffickers to get them to Malaysia. They are currently detained at the police station and I don’t know how immigration officials will take action against them,” the officer explained.

A Bangladeshi citizen heading to Malaysia was arrested near Alae Thankyaw Beach in Maungdaw on October 24, according to the Facebook page of Arakan Daily, a regime mouthpiece covering events in Arakan State.

Nineteen Muslims were arrested near Dauntchaung village in Gwa Township on September 2, and they were subsequently charged under the Immigration Act.

Most Muslims in Arakan State are denied freedom of movement. Because of travel restrictions imposed by successive governments, they cannot travel freely within or outside of Arakan State. Many nonetheless undertake perilous journeys by boat or other means, seeking employment opportunities and a chance at a better life beyond Myanmar’s borders.