Two educational staffs from Thinbaw Hla village of Rakhine State’s Maungdaw township who were kidnapped have not returned to Myanmar yet until this afternoon.
The kidnapped school headmaster U Bo Win and teacher Daw Ohmar Kyaw were released near Chan Chaung (Rakhine) village at Nat River back in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district this morning by the kidnappers.
“They were picked up by the Bangladesh government. It’s not known yet where and when they would be returned to Myanmar,” said a Chan Chaung villager.
They were taken away by the Bangladesh government while preparations were being made to return them to Nga Khu Ya in north of Myanmar’s Maungdaw from Chan Chaung village of Bangladesh, said Chan Chaung villagers.
“I think the Bangladesh border guard will transfer them to Myanmar border guard. They were picked up by Kayu Chaung border guard,” said one Chan Chaung villager.
Headmaster U Bo Win and teacher Daw Ohmar Kyaw were arrested by kidnappers on Taungpyo-Kyein Chaung road, about a mile from SAC’s border guard camp, while they were going to the Maungdaw township education office on a motorbike.
“The money asked by the kidnappers has been sent since the 18th (June) as much as we could. They just released them because they have got what they want,” said one Maungdaw educational staff.
The kidnappers asked around 50 Lakhs of Bangladeshi Taka (1000 Lakhs Myanmar Kyats) of ransom money and it was transferred with the lead of Maungdaw district general administrator.
The commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army (AA) General Tun Myat Naing wrote on his Twitter page that the two educational staffs were arrested by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
The ARSA issued an official statement denying their involvement and some Rakhine parties and civil society organizations also issued statements.
Due to the two educational staffs getting kidnapped, school teachers from Maungdaw district are afraid to go to school and the terrorist military and SAC’s Ministry of Education have received criticisms.