The army detained a power schooner carrying supplied aid for Arakan Army (AA), announced the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services on March 29.

The security forces found a powered schooner heading to Datphyu Village from Marlar Village, Kyauktaw Township along Kalartan River on March 22 and the powered schooner turned and headed back when the security forces came to inspect.

The security forces ordered the powered schooner to stop but it didn’t obey. They fired warning shots and it stopped about 5,000 meters south of Tinma Village. They found four people along with 13 five-gallon alcohol cans, one five-gallon diesel can, 120 five-foot-long firewood and 10 visses of salt from the powered schooner, it said.

When the army interrogated the detainees on March 24, they said the AA gathered locals from Marlar (Rakhine) and Marlar (Mro) and Datphyu villages in October 2019 and January 2020 to give extortion money and provisions.

The AA ordered Than Shwe Maung to collect money and food to provide provisions needed for the AA members. They have been arrested while they are on the way to send the money and food to the AA, it said.

When the army detained them for further interrogation, Than Shwe Maung banged his occiput for 15 times with the wall around 2:30 am on March 28. He struggled and had hard breathing around 6:30 am on March 28. The army provided medical treatment for him and he died suddenly with heart failure, it said.

The rest of them are transferred to the concerned authorities to carry out further action in line with rules and regulations, it said.