Student leader Paing Phyo Min in Myanmar arrested - fear for his life!

Student leader Paing Phyo Min in Myanmar arrested - fear for his life!

In a remarkable incident in Myanmar, the security forces were prompted during a night attack in the busy metropolis of Yangon to arrest a prominent student guide and Protestant leader. The activist, Paing Phyo Min, was arrested late Wednesday evening in the eastern community of Thaketa. This was reported by a member of his protest group, the "Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon", on Thursday.

According to the group, Paing Phyo Min had no contact with his surroundings since he was arrested, which triggered concern about his life and security. "The military government has tried to arrest Paing Phyo Min for a long time because he is a former member of the student union and a leading protester in Yangon," Nan Lin from the protest group to AFP.

The history of the arrest

The context of his arrest is complex. Paing Phyo Min is not an unknown figure: in 2019 he was sentenced to six years in prison under the quasi-civil government of Aung San Suu Kyi because he had read a satirical poem that criticized the military. This conviction was sharply criticized by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, even if it was released in 2020.

After the Military Junta had dropped the Suu Kyi government in 2021, Paing Phyo Min played a crucial role in organizing pro-Democracy demonstrations in Yangon. However, these protests were brutally depressed by the security forces, which illustrates the unrestrestable tensions between Junta and civil society.

The Junta in Yangon has established a far -reaching network of informants and hidden police officers. In view of the city's population of around eight million people, it has successfully suffocated open outlets against her rule. The clear and offensive attitude of the Junta in relation to dissent is underlined by the frightening number of over 27,000 arrests since the military coup in 2021, as a local surveillance group reports.

activists and human rights organizations report that security forces have used torture and sexual violence when they were resistant. The UN human rights office also reported in 2022 that at least 290 people had died in custody. Such reports throw a shadow light on the drastic repressive measures that take place under the current regime.

The circumstances of Paing Phyo Mins arrest and the ongoing approach of the Junta raise fundamental questions about the security of dissidents in the country. The lack of communication since it was arrested increases the concern of how to deal with the activists.

It remains unclear how the situation will develop and whether international pressure on the regime can be exerted in order to restore basic human rights and freedoms. For news and further information, you will find a detailed report on www.barrons.com .