5 Civil Servants and Staff Detained Incommunicado in Sittwe for Two Weeks

Narinjara,August 5, 2026

At least five civil servants and local staff members have been held incommunicado in the Rakhine State capital of Sittwe for over two weeks, with their families completely cut off from any contact.

The detainees have been identified as Ko San Oo (Fire Sergeant), Ko Min Min (Sittwe City’s Chief Administrative Officer), Ko Tun Hlaing (Sittwe General Hospital X-ray Department staff), Ko Kyaw San Tin (Daw Lee Store employee) and Daw Nwe Nwe Soe (Senior Clerk at the Port Authority Office).

A joint force of military and police personnel took the five individuals from their respective homes on July 20.

"We haven't had any contact with them since their arrest," a source close to one of the families told Narinjara. "We don't know the reason for their detention or where they are being held. The families are extremely worried."

The source added that despite being in custody for over 14 days, none of the detainees have been produced in court.

"By law, detainees must be brought before a judge within 24 hours. Sittwe is not under martial law, so the authorities are directly violating their own legal framework," the source noted.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that U Kyaw San Tin may have died during interrogation by military intelligence. Narinjara has not yet been able to independently verify this information.

Local rumors suggest the military junta arrested the group over alleged links to the Arakan Army (AA). However, the Myanmar military has not released any official statement regarding the arrests.

Human rights activists report that the military has carried out widespread arrests in Sittwe recently. Because detainees are routinely withheld from the judicial system, the exact number of individuals currently in custody remains unknown, though activists estimate it could be in the hundreds.