Nearly 400 political prisoners in Rakhine State’s Sittwe Prison were moved to naval vessels on Tuesday for transfer to other parts of the country, according to relatives of the detainees.
Among the prisoners were many local people accused of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA), which has captured townships near Sittwe, the state capital, and is fighting for full control of the state.
“They started taking them out at around 8 or 9pm last night. A prison worker we know informed us just before the ship left at 11pm. He told us that our husbands had been put on the ship,” the wife of one of the prisoners told Myanmar Now on Wednesday.
The woman’s husband was among more than 140 residents of Byine Phyu, a village on the northern outskirts of Sittwe, who were arrested in late May following a deadly raid by junta forces that left nearly 80 people dead.
According to the 25-year-old woman, her husband, father, and another relative were all being held in Sittwe Prison after being sentenced in late August under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act.
She added that the transfer comes as yet another major blow to those still living in the village, as they struggle to cope with the stress of their situation.
“I was just beginning to eat a little more,” she said, describing the toll that the regime’s oppression has taken on her health. “Now we’re suffering all over again. It’s very painful.”
Another woman who had recently been allowed to visit her husband in prison said she had been aware of the impending transfer but did not know which prison he would be sent to.
“Now all the women in Byine Phyu are crying. We don’t know if we will ever see our loved ones again, dead or alive,” she said.
Some locals suggested that the prisoners were moved to prevent them escaping or being freed by the AA if the group begins an assault on Sittwe. Other towns captured by the AA, including Thandwe and Buthidaung, have seen the release of large numbers of political prisoners.
On August 29, junta troops based in the villages of Myit Nar and Min Gan were ambushed as they advanced towards Min Hla, another village near Sittwe. They reportedly suffered heavy casualties before being forced to retreat.
According to local sources, the military has been digging trenches and setting up observation posts at major intersections in Sittwe in anticipation of an attack by AA forces. It has also been building fences and laying landmines outside of the town, the sources said.
Nearby Pauktaw and Ponnagyun townships, which are both under AA control, have been subjected to frequent airstrikes as the regime steps up its efforts to hold onto Sittwe.
Since launching its ongoing anti-junta offensive in November of last year, the AA has captured 10 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships, as well as Paletwa in southern Chin State. It has also reported major advances in Maungdaw, Ann, and Gwa townships.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the regime has arrested 27,522 people since seizing power in February 2021, of whom more than 21,000 remain in prisons around the country.
