Four locals, including an NLD village chairman, were arrested by junta troops on the nights of 9 and 11 March in Ayeyarwady Region’s Bogale Township, according to locals.

Myint San, Cho Oo, and his wife, all from Kyin Chaung Gyi Village in Bogale Township, were arrested on the night of 9 March and Tin Soe, the NLD village chairman of Ywa Thit Village, was arrested on the night of 11 March, according to a local resident.

He explained that junta troops have been cracking down on locals since the Bogale People’s Defence forces (PDFs) shot and killed Ye Htut Zaw, a police informer, at around 6pm on 9 March.

Another local said: “They arrested all the people they were suspicious of. I don't know why the police and the Military Council are afraid of National League for Democracy (NLD) members. There were many soldiers trying to arrest people.”

A member of the Bogale PDF said: "The detainees did not even know about our troops. The people who were arrested are not known to us. They were falsely arrested because they [the military] suspected that they were connected to our troops",

At present, the four arrested detainees are being held in Bogale Township Police Station and their families have not yet been notified, according to locals.