Kyaw Min Yu, a veteran pro-democracy activist also known as Ko Jimmy, was arrested by junta forces on Saturday night in Yangon’s North Dagon Township, according to his wife.
Nilar Thein confirmed to Myanmar Now that her husband had been arrested and wrote on Facebook that his life was in danger.
“The military council must take responsibility for anything that may happen to him after the arrest,” she wrote.
It was unknown at the time of reporting where he was being held. Spokespersons for the military junta could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
According to the pro-regime news outlet People Media, Ko Jimmy was arrested in connection with a shootout that took place in a residential neighbourhood in North Dagon on Saturday night.
Citing a resident of the area, People Media said the clash began when regime forces entered Pinlon Housing to conduct a raid. Several other people were also arrested, and a number of weapons were seized, it added.
The military issued an arrest warrant for the 52-year-old activist on February 13 for allegedly inciting unrest and threatening “public tranquillity” for writing social media posts critical of the February 1 military coup.
A warrant was also issued at the same time for Min Ko Naing, another prominent figure involved in the student-led “four-eights” uprising of August 1988.
Ko Jimmy, who is also a writer, was imprisoned that year for his political activities and not released until 1996. In 2007, following the Saffron Revolution, he was arrested again and held until 2012.
As of Saturday, Myanmar’s military junta had arrested a total of 9,175 opponents of the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Of these, 7,016 are still in regime custody.
