A married couple from Seikkhun village who went shopping for their wedding ceremony in Shwebo, Sagaing Region, have been arrested by military patrol forces and are now missing without any trace. Ko Min Thway Maung and Ma Mon Mon were detained on the morning of April 3rd when they encountered a military patrol near Shwe Dha Monastery while traveling from their village to shop for their wedding preparations. According to local sources, the military patrol stopped and searched them, claiming they found revolution-related photos on their mobile phones before taking them into custody.
A friend of the detained couple stated that they were local weavers and textile traders in their village, with no known involvement in revolutionary activities. The military has set up strict checkpoints at city entry and exit points, conducting thorough searches of people traveling in and out of the area. Family members have been unable to determine where the military is holding Ko Min Thway Maung and Ma Mon Mon, with no information about their whereabouts or condition since their arrest. Local residents indicate that this type of arbitrary detention of civilians is a common pattern of oppression by the military forces in the region.
The incident has caused significant concern among local communities, as it represents another example of the military’s ongoing campaign of arbitrary arrests and detentions of civilians. The couple’s arrest while simply conducting wedding shopping highlights the climate of fear and insecurity that residents must navigate in their daily lives under military rule. The military’s practice of searching mobile phones and using found content as justification for arrests has become a common tactic in their operations throughout the region. Local residents continue to face such risks during routine activities, with many families left without information about their detained loved ones after similar arrests.
