Police Arrest Injured Patients from Mrauk-U Incident

U Aye Maung Thein, father of Ko U Than Zaw (age 19) who was being treated at the hospital, said the police came over at around 8:30 am and took the patients away after handcuffing them.

“They (the police) didn’t say anything. They didn’t say why they (the patients) were being arrested and what they have been charged with. They just came in and handcuffed them. They told the patients that can walk to walk and put them in the hospital detention lockup,” U Aye Maung Thein told Narinjara News.

“They haven’t recovered yet. It’s not fair to do this. I want them to be released. We still want to treat them,” said U Aye Maung Thein.

The media has been restricted from entering the detention cell inside Sittwe Hospital and Narinjara News has not been able to contact Police Colonel Aung Myat Moe, commander of the Rakhine State Police Commander Police, to inquire about the arrests.

According to unconfirmed news reports, three out of four patients, who are seeking treatment in Mrauk U Hospita, have fled.

During a meeting with Sittwe-based civil society organizations, state departments, and media at the state government office on January 22, the Rakhine State government’s secretary U Tin Maung Swe said that legal actions will be taken against the leaders and participants of the Mrauk-U incident.