The junta has detained more than 170 civilians in Rakhine State since fighting resumed between its troops and Arakan Army (AA) last month, according to data collected by civil society organizations (CSOs) in the western state.
A former lawmaker said the purpose of the arrests is to create fear.
“The regime can’t defeat the AA, so it has been arresting and prosecuting civilians to instill fear,” explained U Aung Thaung Swe, a former Lower House lawmaker from Rakhine’s Buthidaung Town.
He also accused the regime of trying to starve Rakhine State residents. “It imposes travel restrictions and cuts off delivery of food to starve the local population … They do not hesitate to commit any war crime,” he explained.
A member of a Sittwe-based CSO told The Irrawaddy that the number of civilians arrested in Rakhine could be higher than the data collected shows. He estimated that more than 200 civilians had been detained since fighting erupted between the AA and junta troops.
“Some of the detainees are business owners and wealthy people. [Their] families do not want their arrests known … There are also cases in which family members dare not post [on social media] about arrests, or they don’t have access to the internet,” he explained.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been arrested for leaving camps that are running out of food. On Dec. 17, junta troops arrested 13 Rohingya from Kyauktalone IDP camp after they entered Kyaukphyu Town for food.
“We are running out of food, but the military does not allow us to enter the town,” a resident of the camp told The Irrawaddy. The camp opened in 2012 to temporarily house Rohingya people displaced by sectarian violence in the state.
“When [camp residents] tried to enter town through another entrance point [besides the main one], they were arrested by soldiers on patrol. We don’t know where they are,” the camp resident said.
The regime has reportedly demanded ransoms of 30 million kyats (about US$ 14,300) for the release of detained business owners. It has also charged ethnic Rakhine detainees under the Unlawful Association Act for alleged ties to the AA.
On Dec. 14, junta troops arrested 54 boat crew members at a port in Sittwe. Only four of them were released after paying fines.
Data collected by CSOs found that 174 civilians had been detained from Nov. 13 to Dec. 17 in 11 of the state’s 17 townships.
The number of civilians arrested by township are: 50 from Sittwe, 33 from Kyaukphyu, 30 from Thandwe, 21 from Buthidaung, 17 from Taungup, six from Maungdaw, five each from Mrauk-U and Ponnagyun, three from Pauktaw, and two each from Ramree and Rathedaung.
Junta troops and the AA are fighting in northern Rakhine State as well as neighboring Paletwa Township in Chin State. The two sides also clashed in Ramree and Taungup townships in southern Rakhine State on Monday.
The regime habitually dismisses reports of civilian arrests in Rakhine State as fake news designed to create misunderstandings between it and local communities.
