Fate of Rakhine Charity School Members Unknown After 10 Days

By The Irrawaddy 16 June 2021

Junta forces detained seven residents of Taungup Township in Rakhine State on June 5 and their relatives are still waiting to hear about their whereabouts.

The Moe free training center chairman Ko Aung Win Naing and six others involved with the center were detained on their way to Thandwe from Taungup, said his wife, Ma Twel Tar Soe.

“We have not yet been allowed to see them. They should have been taken to the police station and charged if they committed a crime. But we still don’t know why they were detained,” she told The Irrawaddy.

She said she was told by witnesses that the Taungup-based Light Infantry Battalion 346 took them but the unit denied any involvement when asked on June 12. Their relatives then reported them missing with the police.

Battalion sources said the seven are inside the army camp.

Moe training center is in Moe Taung village about 13km from Taungup. Established in April, the nonprofit school began computer, English, mechanical and agricultural courses on June 2, according to patron Ko Nay Lin Aung.

“We feel sorry that our school chairman is detained. The police told us they are not at the police station,” Ko Nay Lin Aung told The Irrawaddy.

The Irrawaddy was unable to contact Taungup police or the Rakhine State Administrative Council for a comment.

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