Jury Chai, Thu Rein : Burmese authorities in Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) town on the Thai Burma-Border, last night arrested over 50 TPP residents who were caught out along the main road after 9 pm at night.
As of October 27th, the residents of TPP are subject to a 9 pm curfew. News of the curfew has reportedly not been widely circulated.
According to an arrested resident, the arrested individuals included children, adults, and youths. Reportedly, those arrested widely claimed they had not heard about TPP’s newest curfew.
The 50 people were reportedly arrested just after 9 pm, were interrogated and searched, and then released by authorities a little after 10 pm.
“They [the authorities] did not do anything bad to us such as hit us, they just said [we were] not allowed to go out after 9 pm,” he claimed
He added that authorities still have not shared the news of the new 9 pm curfew with the majority of the TPP residents, and only the individuals who have already been arrested for breaking the new curfew are actually aware of the change.
An individual who is close with the TPP authorities’ Information Department reported that security has become heightened as November 7th, the date of the 2010 Burmese elections, draws near. This individual claimed that increased amounts of Burmese soldiers have ben leading sentry duty around TPP town, and have been arresting, questioning, and later releasing individuals they deem suspicious. Roadways from the Thai-Burma border have also been closed as of October 28th.
“They are afraid that [out of town] people will come to make disturbances in the polling booths, so now the have closed the roads” he added.
Factories in TPP, along the Thai-Burma border, and within all industrial zones in Burma will also close at the beginning of November, in preparation for the elections.
