Arakan Army Detains Around 60 Rohingya Farmers in Buthidaung Township.
The Arakan Army (AA) detained nearly 60 Rohingya civilians from paddy fields and farms in Sein Hnyin Pya and Tha Baik Taung villages in Buthidaung Township on 25 July.
Eyewitnesses said the detainees, including at least four members from a single family, were taken while working on their farmland.“They didn’t inform us not to go to the farms. If they told us, we would have followed,” a local from Sein Hnyin Pya told Arakan Now. “We are even paying monthly taxes to AA for using our own farmland.”The detained individuals were first held overnight at Kyauk Sar Taing village, which is under AA’s control.
They were later moved to an unknown location, believed to be toward Buthidaung town, residents said. Night guards in the village were reportedly ordered to remain indoors during the transfer.
As of now, there is no information on the whereabouts or condition of those detained.The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group seeking autonomy in Rakhine State, has been in control of roughly 90% of the region, including Buthidaung Township, for the past nearly one year amid ongoing clashes with the Myanmar military.
