IDP detainee allegedly beaten to death during interrogation in Sittwe

By Admin 12 May 2026

DMG Newsroom

12 May 2026, Sittwe

An internally displaced person living in Sittwe, Arakan State, which remains under regime control, reportedly died after being tortured during interrogation following his arrest by regime forces.

On May 9, regime personnel raided Seitta Thukha Monastery in Sittwe under the pretext of checking overnight guest lists and arrested six IDP men sheltering there.

The detainees were identified as Ko Aung Aung, U Kyaw Than Hlaing, Ko Aye Kyaw, Ko Mya Tun, and two other men.

According to local sources, 34-year-old Ko Aung Aung died after being beaten during interrogation at Sittwe No. 1 Police Station.

“Junta officials have been conducting inspections almost every night for a long time. They inspected other monasteries on the same day and arrested six IDPs. We later learned that one of them died after being interrogated and beaten at the police station,” a local woman in Sittwe said.

The regime has continued carrying out security inspections in several wards and Buddhist monasteries across Sittwe.

Many residents have been forced to shelter in monasteries after regime forces forcibly evicted civilians from more than 20 villages in Sittwe Township.

Locals and IDPs say fear is growing as regime forces frequently conduct overnight guest list inspections and arbitrarily arrest civilians in the city.

“Junta officials regularly inspect overnight guest lists at night. They often arrest people they suspect, so residents are terrified whenever inspections take place. In some cases, they use missing identity cards as a reason to interrogate and arrest people,” a local man in Sittwe said.

Clashes and exchanges of heavy weapon fire between junta troops and the Arakan Army continue to occur frequently in Sittwe Township. The regime has also reinforced its defensive positions around the city with significant troop deployments.

As fighting intensifies, the regime has tightened security measures throughout Sittwe. Residents say constant inspections and arrests have left civilians without any sense of safety.

People in the city are also facing severe livelihood hardships and rising commodity prices due to the regime’s travel restrictions and controls on the transportation of goods.