About 700 prisoners, most of whom were male political prisoners, were secretly transferred from Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison to other prisons throughout the country at the end of 2022 and during January 2023.

Sources close to prison authorities said that the transferred prisoners were sent to Tharrawaddy prison in Bago region and Thayet prison in Magway.

U Tun Kyi, a member of the Former Political Prisoners Committee, said: "I believe that 700 political prisoners were secretly transferred in the space of two months without informing or obtaining consent from the prisoners' families. The Military Council wants both, family members and political prisoners, to suffer. That's why they didn't tell the families. When family members arrive at the prison with parcels [for their imprisoned relatives], they are told that the prisoner has been transferred.

Amongst the relocated prisoners were the political activists Kyaw Zeya (aka Akyi Kaung), Monkey (aka Min Khant Kyaw,) and OG (aka Paing Htoo Khant). They were members of the public service youth organisation, Octups, and were sentenced to 13 years in prison by the Hlaing Township Court on various charges in March 2022.

The chairman of Octopus said: “According to Insein Prison staff they [the three prisoners] were relocated to Thayet prison in Magway Region. But when their mothers checked with Thayet prison staff we learned that they were not in the prison. Because of this, their families are still unable to send food and packages to them. We are still looking for them.”

U Tun Kyi said that the junta had moved prisoners in this way to encourage dissent amongst political prisoners and their families. The moves have also made it hard for prisoner’s family members to visit them or deliver parcels to them.