Myanmar junta officials physically assaulted and apprehended 11 women who possessed National Registration Cards (NRC) cards from Sagaing during an overnight guest list inspection in South Oakkalapa Township, Yangon, local residents told Mizzima.
On the night of 3 September, approximately 20 junta officials carried out an inspection of overnight guest list at a women's dormitory and subsequently apprehended several women. The dormitory is located on Yazathura Road in (7) Ward, South Okkalapa Township, Yangon.
According to a local resident who spoke to Mizzima, army soldiers discovered the NRC cards from Sagaing and subjected the women to physical violence before taking them into custody.
"The name of the dormitory is still being investigated. As is customary, the military was scrutinizing the list of overnight guests, and upon identifying women in possession of Sagaing's NRC cards, they apprehended 11 women," a local resident said.
Mizzima is currently conducting an ongoing investigation to determine the location where the women are being held and to gather information about subsequent developments.
According to a local source, army soldiers deliberately extort money and engage in unlawful acts of torture against people holding NRC cards from Sagaing and Magway Regions, possibly due to the strong presence of the revolutionary movement in these areas.
A senior lawyer said, "When it comes to the authority to arrest and detain people, whether based on the criminal code or the prevailing police laws, it is exclusively the responsibility of the police. The authority for the military to enter and make arrests is not specified in the 1959 Military Act or the Military Regulations. Consequently, it can be argued that the military's actions in entering and arresting civilians are not in compliance with the law."
Naw Khin San Htwe, the joint general secretary of the Burmese Women's Union, told Mizzima that assaulting women constitutes an act of terrorism, and she highlighted the ongoing gender-based violence perpetrated by the Military Council.
"Under the regime of the terrorist Military Council, we can expect these violent acts to persist. The Military council continues to engage in gender-based violence, specifically targeting women and young girls," said Naw Khin San Htwe.
