YANGON- Arakan Army (AA) arrested 19 fire brigade members and 12 passengers aboard Shwepyithit passenger bus in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, in the morning of October 11th.

The Ministry of Information announced that the Shwepyithit passenger bus carrying 31 passengers left from Mandalay Region in the afternoon of October 10th to Sittwe Township, Rakhine State.

On arrival at the mile-post 127 in Mrauk-U Township, in the morning of October 11th, a bus stopped because a man wearing mufti blocked the bus.

Later, more 10 AA members arrived at the incident and totaling 31 passengers from Shwepyithit passenger bus arrested and brought them to the forest.

The Information Ministry reported that among 31 passengers, three peoples including the driver were released with the passenger bus.

Myanmar Police Force said that AA was carrying out destructive acts aiming to be shattered regional peace and rule of law and to arrest civilian servants and innocent peoples.

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services released a statement on October 12th saying that the military columns were carrying out security tasks in Yathedaung Township, Rakhine State. The columns arrived at the Hlwantaung village in Yathedaung Township in the morning of October 11th where they found that there were 185 houses, a primary school and a mosque. But, no one stayed at the village and 30 houses were destroyed.

According to the report of a local from Hlwantaung village, about 20 AA members holding the small weapons arrived at the village accompanied with about 10 villagers from Hsin Khon Taing village. Later, AA members searched the houses and brought the villagers’ gold and cashes. AA also robed the shops and took the cows. Moreover, they destroyed some houses in the village.

Due to the AA’s robbery, the villagers fled to the nearby villages. AA members retreated to the southern part from Hsin Khon Tai village.

The military men renovated the houses being destroyed by the AA and they also carried out the regional security tasks around the village, according to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services’ Office.  

The AA members made to explode remote control mines and attacked the security forces from inside the village, it said.