Arakan News Agency
The Myanmar military released on Tuesday 281 Rohingya children under the age of 18 in the city of Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, according to a senior member of the local Rohingya community.
He added that all those who had been detained had fled northern Arakan State due to severe violence, forced recruitment, and mistreatment by the Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army), and were attempting to leave for Malaysia when they were intercepted.
The children released today are currently staying in two separate houses in Boome Ward (Ward 9) in Sittwe, where local community leaders are providing food and basic support. However, there remains an urgent need for children’s shoes, clothing, blankets, mosquito nets, sleeping mats, in addition to general financial assistance.
Some of the children expressed their wish to return to their homes, while others said they hoped to reunite with relatives living in Sittwe.
On 20 November, a group of 513 Rohingya, including women and children, attempted to travel by sea to Malaysia. Their boat was intercepted by the Myanmar military navy and they were transported to Sittwe, where all were placed in detention.
Among the detainees, 70 people were held at the main police station in Sittwe, 208 people (including women and children) were held at Police Station No. 36 inside Sittwe University, while another 250 people were detained in a holding area inside Sittwe Prison.
Earlier releases took place in stages as follows:
24 November: Twenty children aged between 7 and 12 were released and handed over to local Rohingya residents in Boome Ward, Sittwe.
25 November: Forty-five men were sentenced to prison following court hearings, without being granted access to legal aid or legal support services.
26 November: Forty-five children aged between 5 and 12 (25 boys and 20 girls) were released and handed over to the administrator of Bowduf Village in Sittwe Township. Nineteen children under the age of four remained in police custody with their mothers.
27 November: Sixty-four women appeared in court and are expected to face prison sentences.
Weeks earlier, Rohingya families fleeing by boat from the city of Sittwe in Arakan State, western Myanmar, were subjected to gunfire by the Myanmar military navy, resulting in deaths and injuries.
Local residents had previously reported cases of mass and individual suicides in Sittwe, caused by the tight siege on the city, rising prices, and the lack of job opportunities, which has worsened the food crisis and pushed some families to death by starvation.
The number of displaced Rohingya in Sittwe is estimated at 110,000, living in 16 camps, all suffering from a severe hunger crisis amid the suspension of aid deliveries, leaving vulnerable communities without support.
