56 Muslim leaving for Malaysia arrested in Sittwe

Narinjara News, 18 February 2023

At least 56 Rohingya Muslims, who were preparing to leave for Malaysia, were arrested by the police personnel yesterday from Aung Tai village under Sittwe township.
The migrant workers assembled in two houses belonging to the human traffickers in the capital city of Rakhine State.
Equal number of people (28) were arrested from the residents of U Shwe Hla and U Myint Naing.
An eyewitness told Narinjara News that the police, including anti-trafficking officers, picked them up at around 1 pm of Friday.
“The police came to our village in two vehicles. They came to the downtown area where there is a police station,” he added.
Those arrested include 36 men and 20 women. They hail from the townships of Maungdaw, Mrauk U, Buthidaung and Kyauk Taw.
The police found that Shwe Hla came to the villages to motivate the residents to go to Malaysia for better earnings. The villagers were asked to pay Kyats 8 million per person.

After the deal was done, the villagers left their places by a boat. They were arrested as they arrived in Aung Tai village.
The villagers said that both the suspected human traffickers could escape.
The arrested persons may face the case under relevant laws. Moreover, the absconding traffickers are being charged under section-367 of the Penal Code, said a police source.

(The photo was taken in 2020)