April 19.
A 25-year-old Khumi Chin mother from Sein Sin village in Paletwa Township, Chin State, was raped and tried to be killed by an Arakan Army(AA) officer and a soldier on April 5, but the mother narrowly escaped death, Paletwa residents said.
In the incident, on April 5, at around 9 am, a 25-year-old married mother of a child who had gone to Khao Sang, a 10-minute drive from Sein Sin village, was raped and tried to drown herself in the Sein Sin stream near the Khao Sang village by an AA officer in her 30s and a soldier. When her mother-in-law, who was worried about the incident, saw her and screamed, two AA soldiers pushed her away, according to people close to the victim’s family.
A local said, “The woman who narrowly escaped death after being raped has a baby who is over 2 years old. The man is currently in Malaysia. Some locals say that the two AA soldiers who raped and tried to kill her have been arrested by the AA. It is not known what action was taken later. It is not certain whether they were arrested or not, but it is not known for sure.”
The village of Sin Sin, located below Paletwa town, is a large village with around 500 households and is mostly inhabited by the Chin ethnic group.
Chin World Media has contacted the AA spokesperson, U Khaing Thu Kha, since April 18 regarding the incident in which a local mother from Sin Sin was raped and tried to kill by two AA soldiers, but has not yet responded.
On November 22, 2024, a 35-year-old woman from Sami township, Paletwa township, was also brutally raped while looking for food and was taken to the hospital for treatment. She was reportedly suffering from scratches, cuts, and urinary tract infections, and was unable to recall what happened when she regained consciousness.
All military council camps in Paletwa township were closed by the AA in 2024. It was fully captured and controlled on January 14, and the AA is currently continuing to implement administrative functions in Paletwa Township.