Khumi group warns Paletwa residents not to cooperate with junta

By DMG 25 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
25 July 2022, Paletwa, Chin State

The Interim Khumi Affairs Coordination Council (IKACC) on July 24 issued an appeal to local residents living in Paletwa Township, Chin State, urging them not to cooperate with the military regime and its subordinate organisations.

The statement came after the Arakan Army said it had detained six locals from Paletwa Township for serving as military informants.

IKAAC has negotiated with the Arakan Army to ensure the safety of the detainees and sought permission to allow them to meet with their family members during their detention, the statement added.

IKACC is an interim Chin national political organisation fighting against the military dictatorship, building a federal democratic union, and sacrificing for the liberation of Paletwa Township, the statement said.

Neither the AA nor the IKACC have released the names or any other details about the identities of those arrested.

Military tensions are currently running high between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in Paletwa Township as well as in neighbouring Arakan State. A clash broke out between the military and Arakan Army near Abaung Thar village in Paletwa Township on Sunday. Fighting flared between the two sides at approximately the same location on May 26 of this year.

Paletwa Township, which borders Arakan State, was also plagued by hostilities during the two years of sustained conflict between the military and AA from late 2018 to November 2020.