Residents said that over 100 people from Mingan Ward in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, where war tension is rising, were arrested this morning by the military council and told that they would have to pay 700,000 kyats for each person. 

A resident said that more than 100 residents, including women, in blocks 6 to 10 of Mingan Ward, Sittwe City, were arrested at around 1:00 a.m. today on June 16 by the troops of the military council going from door to door. The arrestees were taken to a Muslim village called Dapaing village by 8 military trucks where they were put in confinement. 

“The people were arrested at around 1 o’clock in the night by going from house to house by the Military Council. They picked up women as well. All those people who were aged from 15 to 50 were arrested,” he said.

One of the relatives who was arrested told AB News that the arrested people were asked to call their family members to get them released by paying 700,000 Kyat for each, and if they did not comply with the demand of the military, they would be forced to serve in the military.

“My sister is also among the arrestees. I was called this morning by a military member asking to be released by paying 700,000. “If you don’t pay, your sister will have to serve in the military,” he said.

Between May 29th and 31st, the terrorist military council raided and arrested around 2,000 civilians from Byaiphyu village in Sittwe, 76 civilians were separated from among them and shot to death after barbaric torture. Besides 3 women were killed after being gang-raped. All dead bodies were decomposed and disappeared. 

In addition, the terrorist military council demolished all the Rakhine villages in Sittwe Township and forcibly moved the people into Sittwe to use them as human shields.