The plaintiff in an unlawful association case against a displaced man and a local resident in Kyauktaw has failed to show up for 12 consecutive court hearings, delaying justice, said family members of the accused.
The regime has charged traditional medical practitioner U Kyaw Hein, 40, who is taking shelter at a displacement camp within the Kavi Yadana Monastery compound in Kyauktaw town, and U Maung Saw Thar, 53, of Thayet Tabin Village, under Section 17 (1) of Unlawful Associations Act for having alleged ties to the Arakan Army (AA).
Family members of the men have called for a swift trial.
“We want the court to deliver the ruling as early as possible,” said Daw Aye Than, the wife of U Kyaw Hein. “They should be either released or imprisoned immediately. We are staying at a displacement camp, and we no longer receive rice supplies. I am dependent on my husband who has been detained. I am struggling to make ends meet. And nothing has been heard at the trial.”
The two were again brought to trial at the Kyauktaw Township Court on Monday, but as the plaintiff did not show up, the trial was put off until March 24, according to the defence lawyer.
“The plaintiff has not shown up since the trial began,” said the defence lawyer.
U Kyaw Hein was detained while going to Maha Gan Gyi Shin displacement to see a patient there on July 9 last year. U Maung Saw Thar was detained outside the Maha Muni Buddha image on August 1.
The military handed the two men over to Kyauktaw police station on November 3, and a Myanmar military captain filed a lawsuit against them under the Unlawful Associations Act the following day.
Daw Ma Aye Khin, the wife of U Maung Saw Thar, said her husband is innocent.
“The court has heard nothing, and it just scheduled another [hearing] date. I want them to release him immediately,” she said.
According to a DMG tally, the regime detained around 50 people in the latest fighting with the AA from August to late November, charged many of them under the Unlawful Associations Act, or with incitement under Section 505 of the Penal Code.
The Myanmar military promised to release detained civilians when it reached an informal truce with the AA on November 26, but it has only released a few to date.
