Lu Htet Naing, Narinjara News, 3 January 2024 

Around 300 inmates moved from Sittwe Prison to Pathein Prison are said to be having trouble getting visits from their families. Furthermore, certain inmates who have fulfilled their sentences are still not released, according to sources connected to inmate issues. 

The inmates, transferred from Sittwe Prison in Arakan State to Pathein Prison in Ayeyarwady Region in October 2024, are struggling with food and living conditions. Several of these inmates have finished their sentences yet remain incarcerated. 

Among them, 19 political detainees from Parwa Village in Sami Town, Paletwa Township, who were moved on October 8, 2024, were anticipated to be freed by the end of 2024 upon completing their sentences. Nevertheless, sources affiliated with them indicate that they have not been released yet. 

A source familiar with the inmates stated, “They finished their sentences in November 2024, yet they remain detained. Since their move from Sittwe to Pathein, visiting them has become quite difficult for us due to the travel obstacles. They have completed their sentences, yet they remain imprisoned, and we are quite worried. 

The 19 political detainees from Parwa Village were first apprehended in January 2022. In April 2022, the Paletwa Town Court sentenced them under Section 52(a), and they were transferred to Sittwe Prison. 

According to sources involved in prisoner issues, the 19 political prisoners are anticipated to be freed by the conclusion of 2024 once they finish their sentences, but currently, they remain unfreed, and communication with them has been severed. 

On January 27, 2022, the junta accused 19 villagers from Parwa, and on March 30, it sentenced 16 of them to four years in prison each. Three additional individuals received seven-year prison sentences each and were moved from Paletwa Police Station to Sittwe Prison on April 6. Thereafter, on October 8, 2024, they were transferred from Sittwe Prison to Pathein Prison. 

U Thaik Tun Oo, an official from the Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar (PPNM), stated, "During the time the prisoners were in Sittwe, certain family members from urban locations were permitted to visit. Nonetheless, now that they have relocated to Pathein in the Ayeyarwady Region, even the family members who used to visit frequently are encountering challenges. Travel and safety concerns have made it unfeasible to visit the prison even once every month. 

The junta unjustly arrested the 19 villagers from Parwa, and they are currently being held as political prisoners. Even though their sentences have concluded, they remain incarcerated and were not part of any amnesty granted to prisoners on special occasions. 

The Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar (PPNM) disclosed on October 12 that the inmates moved from Sittwe Prison reached Pathein Prison on the night of October 10. Some were sent to Insein Prison in Yangon, whereas others were relocated to Pathein Prison.