by Hafizur Rahman
Sittwe, Arakan State | August 6, 2026
Rohingya residents in Sittwe Township, including families displaced by the conflict, say junta-controlled security forces are increasingly subjecting community members to arbitrary arrest, prolonged incommunicado detention, and demands for money in exchange for their release.
Residents told Rohingya Khobor that police officers, soldiers, military intelligence personnel, and Border Guard Police have detained Rohingya after accusing them of involvement in human trafficking or maintaining links with the Arakan Army.
In several reported cases, families said the authorities provided no evidence supporting the allegations and gave them no formal information about where their relatives were being held, what charges they faced, or when they might be released.
Some Rohingya have allegedly been detained because their names resemble those appearing on security-force suspect lists. Community members fear that loosely framed accusations are being used both to intimidate residents and to extract money from detainees’ families.
“We are ordinary people trying to survive,” one Rohingya resident told Rohingya Khobor. “Every knock on the door fills our families with fear.”
Local sources said some detainees were not taken to regular police stations. They were reportedly transferred to military intelligence offices or military bases, making it difficult for relatives to locate them or seek legal assistance.
Families of some detainees were subsequently approached or indirectly pressured to pay money to secure their release, according to the sources. Rohingya Khobor could not independently verify the alleged payments or determine which officials may have demanded them.
One recent case involved a Rohingya humanitarian worker living in the Baw Du Pha-2 displacement camp. Police reportedly arrived at his shelter on July 23 and told him that he was required only for questioning.
He was then taken away. His family said they had received little reliable information about his location, legal status, or condition since his detention.
In a separate case, security personnel reportedly detained a 70-year-old Rohingya man from Thetkepyin village after claiming that his name matched the name of someone on a suspect list. More than a week later, relatives said he had not returned home and that authorities had not formally explained the basis of his detention.
A member of the Camp Management Committee in the Mothi Nya displacement camp was also reportedly detained after officials said his name resembled that of another person being sought. His family similarly said it had received no official information about his whereabouts or physical condition.
“If our names are similar to someone else’s, does that mean we must lose our freedom?” another Rohingya resident asked.
Rohingya Khobor has withheld the names of the detainees and witnesses because their relatives fear retaliation from security forces.
The reported arrests come as Sittwe remains under junta control and military tensions continue around the township. Residents said the conflict has intensified surveillance and suspicion toward Rohingya civilians, who already face severe restrictions on movement and limited access to legal protection.
Rohingya living in areas controlled by the Arakan Army report facing a parallel pattern of suspicion. Residents in those areas say some have been detained or questioned after being accused of maintaining links with the Myanmar military or Rohingya armed organisations.
The allegations against the two armed authorities are distinct and could not all be independently verified. However, Rohingya residents say civilians are routinely treated as potential collaborators by whichever armed actor controls the area where they live.
“We are caught in the middle,” a Rohingya community member said. “One side suspects us of helping the other, and the other side makes the same accusation. We just want to live in peace.”
Arbitrary or unacknowledged detention leaves Rohingya families particularly vulnerable because they often lack access to lawyers, formal complaint mechanisms, or institutions capable of independently investigating abuses by armed authorities.
Residents called for the immediate disclosure of detainees’ locations, formal notification of any charges, access to legal representation and family members, and the release of anyone held without credible evidence.
They also demanded investigations into allegations that security personnel have used detention and threats to extort money from Rohingya families.
Rohingya Khobor could not obtain responses from the junta authorities or the Arakan Army regarding the allegations before publication.
