Myanmar junta arrests former NLD candidate, others in Kyaukme

Myanmar’s military has carried out multiple arrests in the northern Shan State town of Kyaukme in recent days, including a former parliamentary candidate from the National League for Democracy (NLD), according to local sources. The arrests come as the regime continues to strengthen its hold over the town, which it recaptured from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) earlier this month. At least three civilians, including the NLD candidate Hla Moe, have been taken into custody, and a number of homes and businesses linked to individuals suspected of having ties to the TNLA have been sealed, sources told Myanmar Now. “They arrested [Hla Moe] two days ago. They came and took him away, and yesterday they sealed off his home and shop,” a Kyaukme resident said on Tuesday. The detainees are all currently undergoing interrogation, another source familiar with the situation said, adding that further arrests are expected. Hla Moe ran as the NLD’s candidate for Kyaukme Township Constituency 1 in the Shan State legislature during elections held in 2015, coming in second to the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy candidate. The regime attempted to arrest Hla Moe when it seized power in February 2021, but later removed him from its wanted list, a source said. It is believed that his current arrest is connected to his alleged role as a TNLA-appointed ward administrator in Kyaukme, although this could not be independently confirmed. According to residents, one of the other detainees, the owner of a teashop in the town’s Ward 6, is also suspected of being a ward administrator during the TNLA’s occupation of Kyaukme, which began in July of last year. Kyaukme, a district capital with a population of over 50,000, has nine urban wards. While it was under TNLA control, six ward administrators were appointed, residents said. Among the businesses that have been sealed by regime forces is the One Love Hotel. Located in the town’s centre, the hotel was the target of a junta air raid on the night of June 30 last year. After losing control of Kyaukme, the regime pounded the town relentlessly, often directing its airstrikes at hospital, schools, and police stations in residential wards, resulting in heavy civilian casualties. In August, as the junta launched a renewed push to retake Kyaukme, it intensified its aerial bombardment of the town, forcing residents to flee. Most have now returned, sources said. According to some recent returnees, schools have been reopened and a temporary hospital has been set up, but the electricity supply and internet connections remain unreliable. The regime also sealed off dozens of buildings in Nawnghkio shortly after it recaptured the town from the TNLA in mid-July.

Myanmar junta arrests former NLD candidate, others in Kyaukme

The detainees are reportedly suspected of cooperating with the TNLA during its more than year-long occupation of the town

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