Hnin Ei Cho — In a tiny room made of stout bamboo posts, matted bamboo walls and a thatched roof, a woman sat alone with her baby, whom she had wrapped in a longyi. The sound of the infant’s cries filled the small space.
When DMG visited her early this year, Ma Nyo Nyo Htay, 22, had been alone with her baby for 50 days.
■ Tying the Knot
Ma Nyo Nyo Htay from Hsin Oh Kyaing Village and Ko Maung Htun Hlaing from Wa Pyan Village in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township took their vows in May 2021, with Ma Nyo Nyo Htay moving to her husband’s village thereafter.
Ko Maung Htun Hlaing cut bamboo for living, and also did casual jobs. Ma Nyo Nyo Htay was a housewife. The couple found out they were pregnant in early 2022, and were over the moon about their new family member.
During this time, tensions were rising again between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA). Arakan State was on the verge of a return to war.
The escalating military tensions eventually made it too risky for Ko Maung Htun Hlaing to go into the forests to cut bamboo. As Ma Nyo Nyo Htay’s due date approached, Ko Maung Htun Hlaing decided to find a new job as he would soon have one more mouth to feed.
“Before he left, he told me not to worry, and that he would get the money for the childbirth,” Ma Nyo Nyo Htay recounted.
The owner of a gravel-carrying boat, who is also from Wa Pyan Village, was hiring labourers for her boat, which was operating out of Sittwe. She told Ko Maung Htun Hlaing to come and work. So he, together with fellow Wa Pyan villager Ko Than Htay, left the village. It was November 18, 2022. An unlucky day for the two men.
They were arrested by junta soldiers at a security checkpoint run by Light Infantry Battalion No. 539, based in Kansauk, on their way to Ponnagyun town.
The boat owner informed Ma Nyo Nyo Htay about the detention of her husband at around 3 p.m. that day. Unfortunately, she was in labour at her house, helped by a traditional birth attendant.
“My water was already breaking when I heard the news. I felt like I was going crazy, between my concerns for my husband and labour pains. I felt like I had lost all strength to give birth,” said Ma Nyo Nyo Htay.
■ Detained, Interrogated, and Beaten
Family members of Ko Maung Htun Hlaing and Ko Than Htay, as well as the boat owner, went to Light Infantry Battalion No. 539 the following day to ask about the detainees.
The family members went to the battalion at least four times over the next two weeks. But they could not even get into the cantonment, let alone see the two men. They had to be satisfied with battalion guards saying that the pair would be released.
Ko Maung Tun Hlaing and Ko Than Htay, along with six men who were arrested by the military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 539 on December 6, were subsequently transferred to Kyauktaw Myoma police station.
When Ma Nyo Nyo Htay heard the news, she immediately went to the police station where her husband was being held, with her one-month-old baby boy in her arms. Ma Nyo Nyo Htay and her baby boy had the opportunity to meet with Ko Maung Tun Hlaing.
What she saw shocked her, and left her speechless.
“Ko Maung Tun Hlaing said he wanted to see his son, so I picked up my son and went to meet him at Kyauktaw police station. His face and legs are injured, so he can’t even walk properly. He also showed me the wounds on his back,” Ma Nyo Nyo Htay said.
“Ko Maung Tun Hlaing said he wanted to hold his son, but he was not allowed to hold the child because he was in the cell. When I saw that he was sad and crying, I also became very sad,” said Ma Nyo Nyo Htay, wiping tears from her eyes.
Ko Maung Tun Hlaing was admitted to Kyauktaw Hospital shortly after arriving at the police station due to the injuries he sustained. Ko Maung Tun Hlaing is still taking medicine, Ma Nyo Nyo Htay said.
He was questioned about matters related to the Arakan Army during interrogations, she added. On December 10, Ko Maung Tun Hlaing was charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act on suspicion of having ties to the AA.
“He [Ko Maung Tun Hlaing] was forced to confess that he has links with the AA during interrogations. He confessed to having ties with the AA as he was reportedly beaten and tortured during interrogations. He was then transferred to the police station and was sued under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act,” said Ma Nyo Nyo Htay.
■ A Breadwinner Lost
Ma Nyo Nyo Htay, who had previously been dependent on her husband’s earnings as a daily wage worker, struggles every day to make ends meet, with her infant’s needs and her own to consider.
Ko Maung Tun Hlaing appeared before a court for the first time on December 16. However, it has not been easy for Ma Nyo Nyo Htay to hire a lawyer for her husband. Even attending the court hearings has been difficult. Ma Nyo Nyo Htay says it is difficult to get financial assistance to deal with trial-related matters as both her relatives and her husband’s are poor.
At present, only the collective goodwill of the Wa Pyan villagers is keeping Ma Nyo Nyo Htay and her baby afloat.
“Because the people in the village have given as much as they can, through their generosity we can manage our livelihood,” said Ma Nyo Nyo Htay.
Still, when her child fell ill last month, a visit to the hospital was not financially feasible.
“I don’t have any money and I can’t afford to treat my child, and I can’t do anything if the child cries all night because he is sick. If my son doesn’t sleep, I don’t sleep either, and there are many days up till dawn,” she said.
Ma Nyo Nyo Htay, who has been suffering since her husband’s arrest, looked at her son in her arms and sighed plaintively.
“My life with a child,” she said, “is a mess.”
