A curfew has been imposed in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, with the local military government saying security personnel in the region have been killed and injured in recent days, necessitating the decision to limit basic freedom of movement during certain hours.
Members of the public have been banned from the roads, lanes, parks and other public spaces in Kyauktaw Township from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., with the township administration issuing an order on February 2 stating that the curfew will last for two months.
“I believe that if free movement is allowed at night, similar incidents are likely to occur again,” the township administrator was quoted as saying in the curfew order.
“Section 144 is imposed when there is no rule of law or peace,” said U Oo Tun Win, a former Arakan State lawmaker, referring to the emergency provision underpinning the Kyauktaw curfew. “This order is not a positive statement for the people as it raises concerns and suspicions among the Arakanese community.”
The curfew could present problems for those in need of timely healthcare, said an official from the Mon Myat Saytanar social organisation in Kyauktaw.
“We are concerned about the difficulty of transporting patients at night. If Section 144 is not imposed, it will be good for us. Administrators have not yet announced in the community that the section has been imposed,” said the philanthropist.
Attempts to contact U Kyaw Swar Nyunt, the administrator of Kyauktaw Township, to confirm reports of a nighttime curfew being imposed in Kyauktaw were unsuccessful. However, employees from the township General Administration Department confirmed the curfew order.
Most ward and village administrators whom DMG spoke to were not aware of the curfew order. Some ward and village administrators contacted by DMG said that they had not received the order but had nonetheless heard that a curfew had been imposed.
A similar curfew was imposed in some Arakan State townships, including Kyauktaw, during clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) at the end of 2018. Hostilities between the military and Arakan Army were reported in Maungdaw Township over the past few days.
