CDM teacher dies after five days in junta custody

A teacher who was arrested in southern Mandalay Region’s Wundwin Township last Friday was reported dead five days later, according to local sources.

Kyaw Naing Win, a high-school teacher in his 50s, died on Wednesday while being held at an interrogation centre in Meikhtila, the sources reported.

“He died and his family didn’t even get his ashes. They were also unable to find out anything about his death. He was in good health at the time of his arrest,” said a Wundwin resident who did not want to be identified.

Kyaw Naing Win was taken into custody last Friday at Wundwin’s Basic Education High School No. 1, where he has worked since July, when he was forced to return to teaching after joining the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) last year.

It was unclear why he was arrested last week. He was also detained and held overnight in July, reportedly after local informants urged the junta authorities to “take action” against him and his wife for calling on parents to boycott schools.

His wife, Mi Mi Lay, is currently receiving medical treatment for a heart condition, a source close to the couple told Myanmar Now.

According to the latest data compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, there are at least 234 teachers currently being held in Myanmar’s detention centres.

Most have been imprisoned for taking part in the CDM or otherwise opposing the regime that seized power in February of last year.