Junta troops check Sittwe Twsp village for overnight guests

By DMG 23 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
23 May 2022, Sittwe 

Myanmar regime soldiers, police and department officials checked for overnight guests at Byine Phyu village near the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Sunday night. 

Junta soldiers, police, immigration officials and firefighters knocked on doors starting around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday and left the village around midnight after checking some houses for overnight guests, said a resident who did not want to be named for security reasons. 

“They didn’t check the entire village. They only checked houses on the main road. I don’t know why they checked houses. They didn’t bother villagers,” he said. 

Some villagers were, however, frightened by the sudden inspection of households.  

“Villagers might be worried because they appeared suddenly at night. So, some villagers are frightened,” said another villager who did not want to be named. 

Junta security forces also searched for overnight guests in Sittwe’s Mingan ward on May 17. 

“It is not the responsibility of the military to make checks. Only administrators are responsible for peace and stability and rule of law in their respective areas. However, the military is interfering intentionally [to instill fear] in Arakanese people. Those acts are intended to provoke fighting,” said former Lower House lawmaker U Aung Thaung Shwe. 

Since a 2020 ceasefire, the Arakan Army (AA) has built and expanded its parallel administration, which now includes a judiciary, revenue department and public security offices independent of the government in Naypyidaw. 

In response, the regime has sent troops to search villages for AA affiliates and tell villagers to steer clear of the AA, and has also tightened security checks on Arakan State roads.