Shan-ni Nationalities Development Party (Red Tiger Party) has sent letters to the embassies, the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre (NRPC) and the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission about the arrest of the party’s organizer by the Burmese army.

On the evening of October 27th, U Maung Thein from Ponenwe village in Mong Kung village-tract in Sagaing Region was arrested by the Myanmar military (The Tatmadaw). 

U Sai Htay Aung, Chair of the SNDP said: “The security and border affairs ministry has been informed about the arrest. Today, the party informed the NRPC. Yesterday, the party sent the letters to two embassies and the human rights commission.”

He was arrested by Light Infantry Battalion -222 service personnel in plain clothes in a civilian vehicle. He was beaten with the butt while being arrested. The Shan State Ethnic Affairs Minister from the Sagaing Regional Government, the detainee’s family and villagers asked for a meeting with U Maung Thein, at the Police Station. But the military refused access to the detainee.

The Shan Human Rights Foundation issued a report (October 19, 2020) about other actions by the Burmese army including an offensive directed against villages in southern Kyaukme in Shan State. The report claimed “Locals also suspect that the Burma Army has deliberately sparked fighting to disrupt voting in the November 8 general election in Kyaukme, where the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) won all seats in the 2015 election (in the Upper and Lower Houses, as well as the State Parliament).

On October 16, 2020, the Union Election Commission announced that voting would be canceled in 12 village tracts in Kyaukme, including four tracts in southern Kyaukme: Nawng Hsim, Pang Law, Hai Gui and Kher Nim.