Junta soldiers arrested more than 20 youths in Yangon’s Mingalardon, Kamaryut, South Dagon, Kyimyindaing and Shwepyithar townships, during the first week of July.

On 1 July, a junta military patrol arrested Nyan Lin Htet, a 24-year-old student studying at Yangon University, near Sanyeiknyein (1) Street on Insein Road, in Kamaryut Township on 1 July. Mizzima enquired with the Yangon University Students’ Union to see if they had any further details about what happened to Nyan Lin Htet, but they have not yet replied.

On 3 July, near Basic Education Middle School - 9 in Yangon’s Shwepyithar Township, junta soldiers dressed in civilian clothes arrested a man and a woman while they were hanging a banner that said: “Never forget the day 7.7.1962, [when] history [was] written with the blood of students.”

The banner was referring to 7 July 1962 when the then junta, under the dictator Ne Win, violently suppressed a student demonstration of 5,000 students at Rangoon University, (now called Yangon University) killing more than 100 students and arresting another 6,000. The junta then blew up the Rangoon University Students’ Union building.

A source from Yangon said: “Youths who live in Yangon need to be especially careful this month because it is the anniversary of the 7 July student uprising. Soldiers are [currently] arresting and torturing innocent civilians in Yangon.”

Junta troops are randomly arresting youths, then accusing them of assisting people’s defence forces (PDFs) and interrogating them. After interrogation anyone found to be innocent still has to pay a bribe to the soldiers before they can be released.

According to reports, junta forces are randomly arresting and checking young people in Yangon and checking overnight guest registration lists in Thaketa, Hlaing, South Dagon and Sanchaung townships.