Statement on the Violent Crackdown and Forceful Arrest of the Nonviolent Public Peace Movement
In accordance with the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law, Chapter 3, Article 4, we have informed the all concerned township police stations, including the Tamwe township, for today’s Public Peace Movement. As stateted in our letter submitted, today (12/05/2018), we gathered peacefully in front of the Ocean Centre, Tamwe township. However, the police brought large numbers of crowd control police forces and informed us that the peacefull assembly is not allowed and therefore it would be blocked.
The organizers negotiated with the (township police officer) that the crowd will disperse peacefully and the officer agreed with that proposal. Therefore, the organizers requested the group to disperse peacefully. By the time we started to disperse, the plain clothed, so called ”nationalists”, forcefully beat us and arrest us violently. We strongly condemn such violent and unlawful arrest conducted by the police force and their collaborators- the so called ”nationalists”.
We demand the Myanmar government to:
1. unconditionally and immediately release those who were arrested and detained,
2. investigate the incident where mainly the plain clothed ”nationalists” violently beat and arrest the peacefully dispersing demonstrators, and accordingly take legal action against the perpetrators
3. investigate, identify and take action against the person accountable for this unlawful violent arrest against the peacefully dispersing citizens
Public Peace Movement Committee
