Two Arakanese Fishermen Missing After Junta Troops Torture and Cast Six Into Sea

Two local fishermen remain missing after Myanmar junta forces detained, severely tortured, and threw six fishermen into the open sea off Myebon Township in Arakan (Rakhine) State within a single week, local sources reported.

On Oct. 6, junta warships stationed near Hnakhaungpauk Village in Kyaukphyu Township intercepted a fishing boat operating near the Myebon offshore border.

Soldiers severely beat the three crew members—identified as Ko Kut Kut Chay, 27, Ko Myint Maung San, 33, and Ko Ye Lin Aung, 23—confiscated their vessel, and cast them into open waters.

Ko Kut Kut Chay survived after being rescued by a passing civilian boat, but Ko Myint Maung San and Ko Ye Lin Aung remain missing. Local search efforts are severely restricted due to active naval patrols in the area.

This incident follows a similar attack on Oct. 2, when junta forces intercepted and tortured three other fishermen near the Myebon-Kyaukphyu sea boundary before casting them overboard.

In mid-September, junta troops also detained 13 Muslim fishermen off Pauktaw Township before eventually releasing them.

Rights groups and locals report that mounting naval attacks, unlawful detentions, and violent abuse against civilian fishing crews are devastating coastal livelihoods across Arakan State, where severe economic hardship leaves villagers with little choice but to risk fishing in dangerous waters.