Five arrested in raid on Mandalay art gallery holding fundraiser for quake victims

Military personnel raided an art gallery and arrested five people in Mandalay last week after a planned exhibition to raise funds for earthquake victims was accused of “undermining state dignity.”

The raid took place at the Nanmati Art Gallery in the city’s Chanayethazan Township last Thursday, a day before the “Phoenix Mandalay” exhibition was scheduled to open.

“We heard that five people were arrested. We don’t know the details of who they were yet. When we saw photos of artwork by artists we know among the pieces that were confiscated, it made us worried,” said a woman familiar with the situation.