Two female 88 Generation activists missing following their arrest
The son of one of the two women was also detained in the Kayin State capital Hpa-an last week
Two women belonging to a political organization formed by veterans of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising were arrested in the Kayin (Karen) State capital Hpa-an last week and have not been heard from since, according to their colleagues.
Nu Nu Aung and Khet Khet, who are both members of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, were arrested on April 26 along with Khet Khet’s adult son, an official from the group told Myanmar Now.
Nu Nu Aung was in Hpa-An to receive medical treatment when all three were taken into custody, the official added.
Nu Nu Aung belongs to the group’s Farmers’ Welfare Department, while Khet Khet is a member of its Department of Women’s and Children’s Affairs.
Myanmar Now has been unable to obtain any information regarding the arrests from regime officials.
Founded by prominent former student leaders, the 88 Generation group has played a leading role in resisting the military’s return to power following last year’s coup.
One of its founding members, Min Ko Naing, is a member of the National Unity Consultative Council, a coalition of ethnic and pro-democracy forces formed to oppose the dictatorship and establish a federal union.
Currently in hiding, he has been wanted by the junta since February of last year, when the military ousted the country’s elected civilian government.
Mya Aye, another founding member, was sentenced to two years in prison in March, more than a year after being arrested at his home on the morning of the coup.
In January, fellow 88 Generation leader Ko Jimmy, whose real name is Kyaw Min Yu, was sentenced to death after being found guilty by a junta-controlled court of plotting acts of terrorism.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 10,000 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced over the past 14 months for opposing the takeover.
