Seven ethnic Rakhine people deported from Singapore last week have been arrested after arriving in Myanmar, accused of having links to an ethnic armed group in the country. Last week, Singapore’s government announced that several Myanmar nationals had been arrested for alleged financial links to the Arakan Army. The AA is currently fighting the Myanmar Army, also known as the Tatmadaw, in western Myanmar. An article in The Irrawaddy said that all of those arrested were members of the Arakan Association-Singapore (AAS). Those arrested included Ko Aung Myat Kyaw, brother of the AA chief Major-General Tun Myat Naing. Myanmar’s police have refused to comment on the case, but sources close to the accused allege that the arrests were made at the request of Myanmar authorities.
