In Kyaukphyu Township of Rakhine State, a young man among the flight passengers detained by the Military Council, attempted to commit suicide.
A young man, approximately 20 years old and hailing from Ramree, attempted suicide following his arrest by Junta troops, who claim to have discovered evidence on his phone, linking him to the Arakan Army (AA).
He attempted suicide by inserting his handcuffs into a power socket for a brief moment while the police personnel, who were guarding the area were distracted, a reliable source told Narinjara.
"After allegedly discovering evidence of AA contact on the boy's phone, soldiers handcuffed him.
In an attempt to electrocute himself, he placed the handcuff in the socket. A nearby female passenger was able to quickly turn off the main switch, thus saving him”, the source said.
The source added that the young man attempted to electrocute himself twice, but fellow detainees were able to turn off the main switch in time.
The individual who attempted suicide was identified as Maung Nay Lin Zaw, a 23-year-old resident of Kyeintanchaung village in the Konbaung area of Ramree. He was handcuffed and transported to the 34th Infantry Battalion in Kyaukphyu.
Later, police had learned about the suicide attempt, prompting Junta forces to tighten security around City Hall around 5:00 pm according to witnesses.
On February 18th, Junta forces were waiting at Kyaukphyu Airport for a passenger plane arriving from Yangon. After the plane landed, they detained 67 young passengers and took them to Ramawaddy City Hall in Kyaukphyu for an investigation led by soldiers and the general administrator.
The majority of the detainees are individuals between the ages of 18 and 25, with a notable presence of young women among them. A source informed Narinjara that Junta forces initially promised to release youths who could provide proof of their household list. However they later reneged on this promise, stating that they would no longer release anyone due to the discovery of an AA-affiliated youth among the passengers, and tightened the security measures.
A source in Kyaukphyu reported that on February 19th, young passengers from another plane that landed in Kyaukphyu were also arrested by Junta forces and taken to Ramawaddy City Hall, further increasing the total number of detained youths to over 100.
The source also stated that the Junta troops forcibly searched the phones of the passengers as soon as they disembarked from the plane.
The source suggested that Rakhine youths returning to Rakhine State and other air passengers should pro-actively clear and remove any content related to AA, as well as information, photos, and other evidence that could be deemed incriminating by the Military Council, and result in arrest.
