The Military Council’s navy detained 70 Rohingyas, including five boys under the age of 18, on a boat close to Gaw Yin Gyi Island, locals said.

While traveling near Gaw Yin Gyi Island in the Nga Yoke Kaung township of Ngapudaw District, Ayeyarwady Region, a boat carrying 70 Rohingyas was intercepted by the Navy,

and all on board were apprehended. The group consisted of 58 males and 12 females, according to locals.

“ They have been taken to Nga Yoke Kaung Township and are currently held in the warehouse of a purified water plant, where they are undergoing interrogation by police and immigration authorities”, a Nga Yoke Kaung resident related.

According to a police source, the Rohingyas who were arrested are residents of refugee camps in Rakhine State. They were intercepted while attempting to leave the country to work in Malaysia, after connecting with the human traffickers.

“ 7 Myanmar individuals who were also on the same boat are presently undergoing interrogation, and it is not yet clear if they were traffickers or crew members of the boat”, he said.

The Rohingya youth in the refugee camps of Rakhine State are facing a dire situation of poverty and food shortages, which has led them to believe that their future is lost, hence they have attempted to leave and embark on perilous journeys in search of a better life, a Pathein resident who assist the Rohingyas explained.

“About 5 underage boys, aged around 13 to 14, are among those who have been arrested”, a woman close to the police told NMG.

Rohingyas have been arrested for the second time this year within the borders of Ayeyarwady Region. The first instance occurred on January 1st, when 39 Rohingyas were caught at a checkpoint in Letikwin Ward, Hinthada Township.

Authorities under the Military Council and police in Ayeyarwady Region arrested over 700 Rohingyas last year and charged them with immigration offenses.

Sources close to the Ayeyarwady Region’s police have confirmed that out of the 700 Rohingya individuals who were arrested last year, over 500 have been sentenced to prison terms.