Paletwa, Chin State, Arakan
The Terrorist Arakan Army (AA) forcibly abducted approximately 20 Rohingya youths, including children as young as 14, in Paletwa Township on April 24. The abduction occurred near the jetty of Mee Zar village. Witnesses confirmed the terrorist group stopped cargo boats and seized boys and girls from multiple vessels.
Among the victims is 14-year-old Maung Chit Su Aung, a Grade 6 student from Shin Let Wa village. He was traveling by boat when the Terrorist AA seized him. His family’s grief runs deeper still two older brothers had previously been taken by the same group. One brother died in combat. The other has vanished without a trace.
Maung Chit Su Aung’s mother, a woman over 60 with serious health problems, depends entirely on her youngest son. She begged the Terrorist AA to release him. Consequently, they refused. “Every family must give one person,” a relative quoted the terrorists as saying. The mother’s pleas meant nothing to them.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of terror at the jetty. “They stopped the boats and took the young people by force,” a Rohingya resident stated. “Some of them were crying, but they could not escape.” Moreover, residents confirmed that such abductions have occurred before in the area, creating a climate of permanent fear.
The Terrorist Arakan Army has systematically terrorized Rohingya communities across Arakan. This latest abduction represents another documented act in a broader pattern of forced child recruitment. International human rights organizations classify such acts as grave violations of the laws of war.
Rohingya villagers now live in constant terror of movement. “Our children are not safe anymore,” a villager told local sources. “Even if they travel for small work, they can be taken at any time.” Consequently, families have stopped allowing their children to travel, trapping communities in economic paralysis.
Families of the abducted youth have issued urgent appeals to international organizations and authorities. They demand immediate intervention to secure the children’s release. However, no response from authorities had been received at the time of publication.
The Terrorist AA continues to weaponize Rohingya children as expendable soldiers. This act of abduction at Mee Zar village jetty is not an isolated incident. Moreover, it reflects a deliberate, sustained strategy of ethnic persecution targeting Rohingya civilians throughout Arakan. The international community must act before more children are stolen from their families.
