Forced Fugitive Party Politician Aung San Suu Kyi To Surrender, Myanmar Police Take A 13-Year-Old Child Hostage

Myanmar police illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Maung Sun)

JAKARTA - Police took a 13-year-old boy hostage from a village in Mandalay Amarapura Township last weekend, when they were unable to find and arrest his father, who is a local member of Aung San Suu Kyi's lead political party National League for Democracy ( NLD).

Local residents said that apart from taking the child hostage, police officers also beat Htay Aung's wife, who had been hiding after fleeing her village in Kantaw.

"His wife was covered in blood from their beatings," said a local man who did not want to be named, citing Myanmar Now November 18,

"When the family went to the junta administrators to inquire about the child, they told the family the child would be released if the father turned himself in," the man continued.

The boy was reportedly detained at the Myitnge police station on Wednesday. Meanwhile, another villager said it was not clear that the Myanmar military regime was targeting Htay Aung. Moreover, he is also said to be not a member of the party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The man is not even a party leader, he is just an ordinary member. We don't know why they are looking for him so much. Our best guess is that a military informant named him," the resident said.

In October, the army posted a notice containing death threats at the local administration office in Yay Kyi Pauk village, where Kantaw is located. The notice ordered teachers who took part in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) to return to work, two local residents said.

The villagers tore up the notice and were then beaten by soldiers for doing so, they added.

Last week, the same thing happened in the nearby village of Leik San Khun. Villagers tore up notices containing death threats to teachers who refused to return to work and were then beaten by soldiers.

Mandalay regional police did not answer a phone call seeking comment about the detained boy.

To note, Myanmar's military regime has taken dozens of family members, including children, hostage in an attempt to force opponents to turn themselves in in recent months.

Last week a man died in custody after the junta authorities in Madaya Township detained him because they could not find his nephew.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news covering the Myanmar military coup by clicking this link.