The junta issued a directive prohibiting staff affiliated with its departments in Sittwe City, Rakhine State, from traveling to other cities on August 1, 2024.
The letter states that “staff from various departments within Rakhine State are currently traveling by plane from Sittwe to Yangon and Mandalay cities without any authorization from the respective department heads. To ensure proper monitoring of these staff members, a daily inspection team has been assigned the task from August 4 to 10.”
Furthermore, the letter also states that the relevant inspection team is instructed to check daily, according to the designated dates, for the presence or absence of department-affiliated staff traveling by plane at Sittwe Airport without any authorization. They must submit the daily inspection reports by 4:00 pm and report any exceptions immediately to the Rakhine State Government Office.
The inspection team assigned by the military council to enforce the restriction on leaving Sittwe includes Deputy Director-General U Than Shwe, the District General Administration Office, representatives from the police force, the Immigration Department, and the Education Department.
Although the military council has previously imposed travel restrictions on department staff, this time the directive is described as being much more stringent and severe, according to one of the department staff members.
The staff member stated that this type of restriction is intended to demonstrate that the military council's administrative machinery is functioning effectively.
"They're not managing effectively in Sittwe either. It's just for show. Most of the staff in Sittwe have already left the city. If those still there also leave, it will be worse for them. That's why I think they're taking such measures," the staff member said.
The military council has tightly closed off both land and water routes in Sittwe, leaving only one air route open, according to those who are trapped within the city.
Currently, the military council is engaging in arbitrary arrests, killings, extortion, and nighttime raids under the pretext of guest list checks in Sittwe. As a result, residents of Sittwe are fleeing to Yangon and other regions.
Additionally, due to concerns about potential clashes between the Arakha Army (AA) and military council forces in Sittwe, residents are gradually leaving the city.
At such times when people are fleeing the city, the military council has issued directives to its affiliated department staff, enforcing strict and severe restrictions to block their departure.
