Naung MinThu, Narinjara News, 10 August 2024

More than 20 policemen, includingthe district police chief, township officer and several other senior officers,defected to the Arakan Army (AA) with their weapons in Maungdaw town of ArakanState, where the intense fighting is going on for many days.

The family members informed that thepolice officers contacted the AA on 6 August  and later defected to theAA-controlled area.

On 9 August, some unarmed policepersonnel along with their families, who were trapped in Maungdaw, left for theAA-controlled area along with local people.

Some of theremaining officers and their families have also moved to the AA-controlled arealeaving a few families  at the police station, said a family member.

The defectors included police chiefsalong with the officers from various units like district police force, townshippolice force, special intelligence department (SP), traffic police force, drugenforcement division, anti-human trafficking police force, etc.