- Web Master
- September 19, 2024
The junta forces have detained another 25 Muslims from
Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, for compelling them to join the military
service.
On 26 March afternoon in Aung Mingalar Muslim ward of Sittwe township, the soldiers
arrested seven residents travelling in an auto rickshaw.
"The auto rickshaw came from Sittwe with seven
people on board. The passengers along with the driver were arrested. I
saw some Muslims were arrested, but I cannot confirm if there was any Rakhine
too,” said a local Muslim
resident of Aung Mingalar ward.
Earlier on 25 March, four people from Basara Muslim village near Sittwe,
10 people from Aung Daing Muslim
village and four people from Maw Thee Nyar Muslim village were arrested by the
junta forces.
At 7:50 am on 25 March, the junta forces also
arrested around 10 individuals from Aung Daing village under Sittwe township.
Additionally, a number of residents from Basara and
Maw Thee Nyar Muslim villages were also arrested by the junta soldiers. They
also threatened the family members as five of those nine individuals
arrested from Basara village managed to escape.
"In Maw Thee Nyar, four people were
arrested. Out of the nine individuals arrested, five escaped. The junta
forces threatened to punish the families if they did not hand over those
escapists," he added.
The residents prefer to live in harmony without any
ethnic or religious conflict in Rakhine State. However the military junta's
actions are fuelling tensions between Rakhine people and Muslims in the region,
he asserted.
"The conscription law is tied to citizenship. We
are left aside because we are not citizens. On the other hand, we are being
used as if we were citizens. This treatment is unacceptable to us. They arrest
and force us to join military service and finally fight against Rakhine people
amid the military conflict against the Arakan Army (AA). The AA currently
enjoys significant public support in the region. Being compelled to fight
against such a popular organization, we become helpless," he stated.
The junta has been carrying out forced arrests and
compelling them to join the military service. The soldiers are targeting Muslim
IDP camps like Dar Paing and Baw Du Pha in Sittwe locality as well as all
Muslim villages.
According to a convincing report, there may be at least 600
Muslims who are attending the military training.
The Muslim community reported that the junta deployed the Muslim youths, who underwent short-term military training in Sittwe, in the battle field of Rathedaung.
Additionally, there have been reports that hundreds of
young and middle-aged Muslim men were arrested for compulsory military training
in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships.