Missing Arakanese girls found in south Burma

Posted on: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 19:19 

( Minbya, 17 Dec 2013) : Six Arakanese young women, who went missing from a construction site in Arakan during the first week of December, were found recently in Tanintharyi division, located at southern part of Burma near Thailand border, informed family members.

All the six missing girls were found in a Tanintharyi township construction site by the family members. Earlier they lodged a missing report in Minbya police station.

“We lodged the complain on 15 December soon after we got the information about their missing. Finally we get the information about their presence at Kway Kin village under  Tanintharyi township,” said Ko Win Kyaw from Minbya.

The victim women namely Ma Cho Cho Win (17), Ma Htay Htay Than (22), Ma Thin Thin Soe (15), Ma Soe Soe (22), Ma Hla Pyu (14) and Ma Lon Lon (23) hail from Thain Pon Chaung village tract under Minbya township and went missing while they were working at Mray Bon township of Arakan State.

“They were brought to Mray Bon township in November last week by Zaw Naing Win of ABC construction company as a daily wage earners. With them 15 other women from their village under Minbya township were also brought,” added Ko Win Kyaw.

According to sources, all these young women were brought to Tanintharyi from their native village by the company without the permission from the authority and also knowledge of their families.

Ko Raza, who claimed himself is from the ABC construction company, revealed that the six young women are now in Tanintharyi township but he denied that their staffs brought them illegally.

“We did not lure them to come to Tanintharyi locality.  We brought them as they wanted to work in south Burma areas. Now if they want to return back to their village, we are ready to send them back,” added Ko Raza.

However Ko Win Kyaw claimed that the ABC company staffs have no rights to bring young women labourers without the permission from their families, as many of them were even adolescent.

“There are at least three young women who are adolescent and the company has no right to engage them in the construction site. We are looking forward for the authority’s actions against the company,” added Ko Win Kyaw.

The family members now want the authority to bring their daughters back to their village at the earliest. Otherwise,  the girls may fall into the clutch of traffickers, the family members pointed out.

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