U Ye Min Htike, chairman of the Tanintharyi-based Independent Social Welfare Association who had been charged under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law, has been released, according to his family and close associates.
U Ye Min Htike was arrested by the military council in September and charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law. He was released on January 13 following months of detention.
“A U Ye Min Htike family member repeatedly submitted petitions to the current Mon State Chief Minister. After a review by the relevant authorities, he was released,” said a close family associate.
In September, the military council arrested U Ye Min Htike and eight other association members, alleging connections with the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs). Six members were released shortly after, but U Ye Min Htike, Ko Win Kyi, and Ko Pu Tu were charged on October 9 under Counter-terrorism Law Section 50(j).
Although U Ye Min Htike has been freed, Ko Win Kyi and Ko Pu Tu remain in detention.
Following the arrests, the military council dissolved the Independent Social Welfare Association on October 25. The association’s office in Aung Mingalar Ward, Tanintharyi Township, was also disassembled.
The Independent Social Welfare Association, established in 2018, was a local organization dedicated to emergency and social relief efforts within the township.
Since the military coup, several social workers in Mon State, particularly in Kyaikhto, Mawlamyine, Mudon, and Tanintharyi townships, have been arrested over alleged links to PDFs, with some receiving lengthy prison sentences.
