The Sittwe police station open cases against 24 men from Letka village in Mrauk-U Township, who have been transferred to police after being detained by the Tatmadaw, under the Counter-terrorism law.

The villagers have been presented with lawsuits under section 50 (i) and 52(a) of the Counter-terrorism laws, said police captain Aung Mya Oo, head of No. (1) police station in Sittwe.

They were handed over to police on May 1 and were remanded on May 3 and May 17 to continue interrogations. The next court hearing for them is scheduled for May 31.

During detention by the Tatmadaw, detained villagers were tortured, according to villagers who were detained and their family members.

“I want (authorities) to release innocent people. My husband’s arms were broken because he had been tortured. He had to drink his urine during the military’s detention period. He was not given water, let alone food.  My husband was tortured for 12 days,” said Daw Khiang Kyi Hla, wife of U Maung Than Htay, one of 24 detained villagers.

One of the twenty-four villagers is a university student, according to family members.

“My son has his own future to pursue his education. Now, he has been arrested and it looks like the interrogations are destroying his chances for an education. I want to see that my son is released. And they (people who arrested her son) should have action taken against them,” said Daw Khiang Shwe Than, mother of the university student Maung Soe Moe Kyaw.

A troop from the Myanmar Army detained 27 people from Letka village on April 10 and three of them, U Maung Than Nu, 50, U Thein Tun Sein, 40, and Maung Zaw Myo Tun, 24, died during the interrogations.

One of them died of heart attack, one hung himself and a third person died from the effects of drug withdrawal, the Tatmadaw True News Information Team said.