Arakan Students' Union demands justice in Pauktaw rape case

By Admin 31 Jul 2025

DMG Newsroom

31 July 2025, Pauktaw

The Arakan Students' Union has called on the Arakan people's government to take immediate and effective action regarding the rape of a 9-year-old girl from Pauktaw Township, Arakan State.

The Grade 4 student from Hinkhayaw Village, Pauktaw Township, was raped by a Buddhist monk on July 28, according to family members and villagers.

The alleged perpetrator was identified as Sandima aka Sein Hla Htun, a 69-year-old displaced Buddhist monk from Sittwe, who is accused of raping her inside a building in a local monastery compound.

The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army's Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security (DLEPS) has arrested the alleged rapist and opened a case against.

"If action is taken against the rapist, effective measures such as the death penalty should be taken to prevent such incidents from happening again, not just imprisonment," said a female social activist in Pauktaw Township. "Otherwise, I think it will only encourage them to commit more crimes."

The Arakan Students' Union said in a statement that crimes against children are crimes against society as a whole that have the potential to severely harm children physically and mentally. The student union urged authorities to use the Pauktaw rape case as an example and opportunity to mete out harsh punishment as a means of deterrence.

The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA), which controls 14 of Arakan State's 17 townships, has put in place its own justice system, but critics say the nascent judiciary still has many weaknesses.

"Child rape and sexual assault are serious crimes that no one in society accepts. These need to be carefully monitored. Although there are weaknesses, we should handle these cases carefully to prevent them from happening again," said a military and political analyst in Arakan State.

On May 6, a 9-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Pharpyo Village, Minbya Township, and DLEPS is reportedly investigating eight suspects in connection with the case.

A woman in her 20s in Loomonepaik Village, Myebon Township, was going to the bathroom in her yard at around 6 p.m. on June 20 of last year when a 24-year-old man dragged her into a nearby backhoe pit and attempted to rape her.

The case has dragged on for more than a year, with the victim and her family recently demanding a fair and speedy trial.