(Reuters) – A protester in Myanmar who says he was detained by troops for three hours as part of cracking down on opponents of last month’s military coup described being beaten with belts, chains, bamboo sticks and clubs .
In a rare first-hand account of the treatment of detained activists, the man told Reuters that she was one of 60 people picked up by police on Tuesday in Myeik, a southern coastal city, as they hid in a house after breaking a protest. for them.
A military spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment on the man’s allegations. Myeik police station did not answer his phone. The military has previously said it is legally dealing with protests.
The man provided photographs that he said were taken by his family showing wounds to his back, neck and shoulders.
Reuters has verified that the photographs were of the man and that his family had taken them. The news agency, which spoke to the man over the phone, was unable to verify his account.
The protesters were put in a truck and handed over to troops at Myeik Air Base, where the men were separated from the women, photographed and taken to a room, the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity. for fear of being arrested again.
Reuters was unable to reach the air base for comment.
“They hit us all the time even as we were walking towards the room,” he said. “The soldiers said, ‘This is the hell room, why don’t you know?'”
He described being told to kneel and said five of the group were told to face each other as they hit them on the back, head, neck and sides. He said he was later released along with several others without explanation. Some others were formally arrested and sent to prison.
Reuters was unable to contact the prison for comment.
Pyae Phyo Aung, a former member of the Myeik student union who has been in contact with released protesters, told Reuters that 32 people were arrested in the incident, according to a list he helped compile for civil society groups . He said he saw another protester with injuries to his back and hip.
“When I met him, I couldn’t even sit down,” Pyae Phyo Aung said. “He was lying face down due to hip injuries.”
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1 and detained both her and other politicians.
The military says Suu Kyi’s November election won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) was marred by fraud (a claim rejected by the national election commission) and that she has set up a board to govern the country. pending a new vote on an unspecified date. .
Security forces have been repressed with increasing force in daily protests across the country, and more than 60 protesters have been killed and 1,900 people arrested since the coup, the Association for Assistance to the Political Prisoners.
Reuters was unable to confirm the figures independently.
At least two people, both NLD officials, have died in prison since last Saturday after being arrested, according to party sources, although the reason for his death is unknown. The military has not commented on this.
Reuters staff reports, written by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Edited by Angus MacSwan