• Burmese
Friday, June 13, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Arakan Group Says 7 Arrested Over Sittwe Bomb Attack

Moe Myint by Moe Myint
February 28, 2018
in Burma
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Security forces at one of the blast sites in Sittwe on Saturday. / MOI / Facebook

Security forces at one of the blast sites in Sittwe on Saturday. / MOI / Facebook

5.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON — Police in the Rakhine State capital of Sittwe have arrested an executive committee member of the Arakan National Council (ANC) and six other locals over a bomb attack that injured a police officer over the weekend, according to an ANC official.

ANC general secretary U Tun Zaw said council college Ko Naing Soe, also known as Mae Lone, was arrested in Sittwe on Sunday.

Tun Zaw said the police have filed charges against Naing Soe under multiple articles of the Counter-Terrorism Law that carry a minimum prison sentence of 10 years. He said his first court hearing was scheduled for March 12.

RelatedPosts

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

June 9, 2025
1.4k
Thaksin Targets Myanmar’s Wa Army, Calls for No Mercy in Drug War

Thaksin Targets Myanmar’s Wa Army, Calls for No Mercy in Drug War

May 28, 2025
1.2k
Thai Court Issues Warrants Over Deadly Tower Collapse During Quake

Thai Court Issues Warrants Over Deadly Tower Collapse During Quake

May 16, 2025
419

Local police could not be reached for confirmation.

In a video of four men in handcuffs at the Sittwe courthouse on Monday, posted online by Naing Soe’s brother, some of the men say they were “unfairly charged with many articles” and that their rights were being violated.

“Arresting people with doubt [without evidence] will never bring us justice,” says Naing Soe.

Naing Soe was previously arrested by the military in Sittwe in 2009 for the possession of explosive devices and sentenced to eight years in prison. He was granted an amnesty by former President Thein Sein and freed in 2013, according to Tun Zaw.

Naing Soe. / Tin Wong Mog / Facebook

He said Naing Soe is also a liaison officer for the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group allied with the ANC, but not a combatant. With only 100 or so active fighters, the Arakan Army has been likened to more of a non-governmental organization by veteran journalist Bertil Lintner, who specializes in Myanmar’s ethnic armed conflicts.

Three remotely detonated bombs rocked Sittwe on Saturday. One of the bombs went off in the backyard of a state counselor’s office. The others exploded near a courthouse and a land records office.

Tun Zaw said authorities have detained about 20 locals in all since the attack. It is unknown how many of them remain in custody.

“In general we accept police detention for questioning when carried out in line with the law, but this arrest was unfair and nonsense,” he said.

The motive for the attack, and who carried it out, remains unknown.

It follows the fatal shooting of seven ethnic Arakan protesters by police in the Rakhine State town of Mrauk-U in mid-January and the subsequent stabbing death of a government administrator who was transferred out of the town a few days after the protest.

It also follows the recent breakdown of efforts to see the ANC sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) along with two more ethnic armed groups on Feb. 13.

“We negotiated with the ANC to sign the NCA until the last minute. But when the time comes to sign the NCA, the ANC didn’t come along,” said U Zaw Htay, spokesman for the President’s Office.

A day before the signing ceremony, the ANC said discussions between the government’s Peace Commission and the ethnic armed groups’ Delegation for Peace Negotiations on Feb. 11 ended in deadlock. It said the commission refused to continue debate on eight contentious points and pressured the ANC to finish the negotiations after it signed the NCA.

Tun Zaw said Naing Soe had attended the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in 2016 as an ANC representative and was selected to join the group’s delegation to the Feb. 13 signing ceremony before negotiations with the government broke down.

He said his colleague has back problems and takes medicine to ease the pain, regularly traveling from Sittwe to Thailand for medical care.

He added that the ANC has sent State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the Peace Council, which she heads, letters insisting that Naing Soe was not involved in Saturday’s attack and asking for his release.

The ANC was established in Thailand in 2004 as an umbrella organization for several groups, including the Arakan Liberation Party, the All Arakan Students Youth Congress, the Arakan Women’s Welfare Association, the National United Party of Arakan, the Rakhine Women’s Union and the Democratic Party of Arakan. It is unclear whether all of them remain active.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: CrimeRakhine
Moe Myint

Moe Myint

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar’s BGF: A Family-Run Criminal Enterprise With Friends Across Asia
Burma

Myanmar’s BGF: A Family-Run Criminal Enterprise With Friends Across Asia

by The Irrawaddy
May 22, 2024
37.2k

A new report by JFM spotlights the organized crime empire of junta-allied Karen warlord Saw Chit Thu and his family,...

Read moreDetails
Notorious Myanmar Arms Broker Convicted of Cash Smuggling in Singapore 
Burma

Notorious Myanmar Arms Broker Convicted of Cash Smuggling in Singapore 

by The Irrawaddy
January 8, 2024
28.8k

US-sanctioned Kyaw Min Oo and two accomplices were caught at Changi airport with over half a million dollars.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Detains Generals Who Surrendered to Resistance in Laukkai
Burma

Myanmar Junta Detains Generals Who Surrendered to Resistance in Laukkai

by The Irrawaddy
January 8, 2024
24k

The detention of the six brigadier generals is required under the military’s rules following last week’s surrender to the MNDAA,...

Read moreDetails
Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front
Analysis

Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front

by Moe Sett Nyein Chan
January 23, 2024
22k

The military’s demoralized Western Command is feeling the heat as the Arakan Army closes in on towns in northern Rakhine,...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Reportedly Set to Prosecute High-Profile Businessmen for Corruption
Junta Cronies

Myanmar Junta Reportedly Set to Prosecute High-Profile Businessmen for Corruption

by The Irrawaddy
October 18, 2023
15.9k

Regime cronies Thein Win Zaw and Mu Mu Shein are set to follow former lieutenant general Moe Myint Tun as...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Karen BGF Launches ‘Scam Crackdown’ After Chinese Celebs Abducted
Burma

Myanmar’s Karen BGF Launches ‘Scam Crackdown’ After Chinese Celebs Abducted

by Maung Kavi
January 16, 2025
14.9k

Junta-affiliated militia overseeing notorious transnational crime hub issues ‘clean-up’ message to Chinese tycoons in Myawaddy.  

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
The century-old Shwe Nang Daw Kyaung Monastery in Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Conflict over Methods Stalls Restoration on Part of Historic Monastery

Ho Pong town, Shan State. / Sai Aung Myint Oo / Supplied

8 Shan Men Accused of Links to Armed Group Sentenced to Jail

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

4 days ago
1.4k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

2 days ago
855

Most Read

  • Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Reinforces Kyaukphyu as AA Nears China-Backed SEZ Hub

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Advances into Karenni State

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.