Narinjara / BNI Online | September 20, 2018

Around 50 Rakhine youths staged a protest in front of Myanmar embassy in Tokyo, Japan on September 19 to demand the immediate release of Dr Aye Maung and writer Wai Hin Aung, who have been arrested on high treason charges.

Led by the Arakan Youth Association (Japan), the protest was held from 3 to 4:30 pm.

“The protest aims to demand the immediate release of Rakhine public leader Dr Aye Maung and writer Wai Hin Aung, who have been unfairly arrested,” Ko Soe Naing, chair of the Arakan Youth Association (Japan), said to Narinjara News.

Besides Rakhine youths, some ethnic youths also joined the protest.

During the protest, the protesters held placards and posters with slogans to demand the release of Rakhine leader Dr Aye Maung and writer Wai Hin Aung, find the truth on Mrauk U murder, and the release of all Rakhine political prisoners.

The Arakan Youth Association (Japan) has written an open letter to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor and chair of the Rakhine State Peace and Development Committee, to demand the immediate release of Dr Aye Maung and writer Wai Hin Aung.

In the open letter, the Arakan Youth Association (Japan) stated that the Rakhine leader Dr Aye Maung and writer Wai Hin Aung were arrested under the Rakhine State Peace and Development Committee’s decision for giving a literary talk in Rathedaung on January 15 and the two men only talked about how the Rakhine people lost their sovereignty due to their lack of unity and an overview on all situations in the Rakhine State.

The association insisted that the two men did not make any inflammatory speeches on committing high reason and bringing down the government’s image and urged the government to immediately drop charges against Dr Aye Maung and writer Wai Hin Aung and release them.