The junta is still holding 50 people that it detained for no reason in Sittwe Town, Arakan (Rakhine) State at about 3:00 pm on 13 September 2024.

Junta soldiers in seven military vehicles carried out coordinated mass arrests in several areas of Sittwe Town, including Shwe Pyar, Mi Zan, and Ta Yar Thee Su wards, at about 3:00 pm on 13 September. People were even arrested at a nurses’ housing complex near the Sittwe Post Office. The detained included dockworkers, individuals who stayed behind to guard their houses, and pedestrians, according to residents.

Later that evening, at about 8:00 pm, 20 of the detained, including two women, several Grade 11 and Grade 12 students and men over 70 years old, were released from Sittwe Myoma Police Station because the cells at the police station were overcrowded, according to a Sittwe resident.

They said to Narinjara: “The junta only released those it selected. I heard the release was due to overcrowding in the cells, but one student and several individuals in their 50s and 60s remain in custody.

All of the released were from Shwe Pyar Ward except for the two women who were from Lanmadaw Ward, according to a source, who said the women were arrested in Shwe Pyar Ward as they were on their way to visit relatives there.

According to a source close to Sittwe Myoma Police Station those still in custody are being held incommunicado and include teenagers and individuals up to around 60 years old. Many of them were also reportedly tortured and beaten during interrogation.

The source said: “Some detainees had their teeth broken during beatings and interrogations at the police station. Dock workers were also questioned about their employment history. None of them have been allowed to contact their families.”

Sittwe Town residents are concerned that there was seemingly no reason for the 13 September arrests which seem to have been completely arbitrary.

As tensions escalate in Sittwe Town, the junta and police continue to arrest civilians for various reasons. Some detainees have been forced to pay bribes for their freedom, while others have gone missing, leaving their families in distress.

The junta has ramped up its military presence and security measures across Sittwe. This includes the construction of fencing along Kannar Road and tighter security measures for pedestrians. Furthermore, the town has been effectively sealed off by junta forces who are preventing residents from leaving. Locals feel they are are being kept in Sittwe Town like they were hostages.