On 22 April 2022, a young Taunggyi resident who has been supporting the internally displaced people (IDP) was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the military junta.

The 32 years old Taunggyi native, Aung Min Thu, was sentenced by the Taunggyi’s district court with the charges of the Anti-terrorism Law article 50 (Nya) which carries 10 years in prison according to a woman who is closed to the victim.

Additionally, the military tried to arrest Aung Min Thu early this year by raiding his home, however, he was not at home, and the military attempted to hold his mother as a hostage.

Due to the concern of holding his mother as a hostage, Aung Min Thu came back and turned himself in to the authorities.

“When they (SAC) came to arrest him, he was not at home, and they tried to get his mother as a hostage. So, he came back and turned himself in. He is just a plain civilian,” a woman who is closed to Aung Min Thu told SHAN.

Recently, the military junta is tracking down and arresting people in Taunggyi who are providing support to the IDPs by accusing them of helping the PDF forces and by tracing them using KPay application. KPay is a digital wallet application owned by Kanbawza Bank.