The military council’s armed forces raided the pawn shop of a National League for Democracy (NLD) member in Mandalay’s Aung Pinlae ward on Thursday night, stealing more than 30 million kyat (more than US$18,200) in jewelry and cash, she said.
May Thu, 44, had an arrest warrant issued for her by the regime in April for allegedly violating Section 505a of the Penal Code for incitement.
When 20 plainclothes soldiers showed up at her shop, where May Thu also lives, she was not there, so they instead detained her 22-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, who were returned home the next morning.
“We run a pawn shop, so we keep the items pawned to us in individual bags with receipts and names. They took over 200 items, and only released the kids after,” May Thu, who has been in hiding, told Myanmar Now.
Fifty-year-old Kyat Tu Yway, a well-known community member in Aung Pin Lae ward, was also arrested along with May Thu’s children, and has not been released.
They were taken to the Lay Myat Nar pagoda compound and interrogated separately, May Thu’s son said.
“They coaxed us and threatened us in turns to provide information. They asked me how I am related to her,” he said.
The interrogation lasted until midnight, he added, at which point they were handcuffed, put into prisoner transport vehicles, and told they would be sent to an interrogation centre.
He and his sister were released in the morning.
May Thu has been in hiding out of concern that she would be arrested for her involvement in the Civil Disobedience Movement and anti-regime protests in Mandalay.
The military council could not be contacted for comment regarding the detention and interrogation of a child and the theft of items from the shop.
As of May 29, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has reported that at least 837 civilians have been killed and 4,370 detained by the regime since the military coup on February 1.
The military council has dismissed the AAPP’s tally as “inflated” and claimed that the number of deaths is around 300.
