"They blindfolded us with cloth and took us to their camp."

Interview Translation January `14, 2026

(Exclusive interview with a Rakhine woman who was released after paying 150,000 Taka to the RSO group)

Than Htun Htun interviewed. Interview/ Released by Honest Information on January 9, 2026

In Rakhine State, the military junta continues to carry out successive airstrikes on hospitals, urban residential areas, and schools, causing local residents to live in constant fear of aerial attacks. Due to difficulties in accessing healthcare, some people are forced to seek medical treatment in Bangladesh or India.

On January 4, a group consisting of 2 men, 3 women, and 1 child set out from Maungdaw Township toward the northern Bauthaula area (about 50 miles away) to cross into Bangladesh for medical treatment. While crossing the border at night, they were detained by an armed Rohingya group on the Bangladesh side.

At the time of detention, one elderly woman and the two men managed to escape. However, two female CFSI (likely a local NGO) staff members and a 9-year-old child remained in custody and faced a frightening situation. As of now, those detained by the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) have safely returned home on January 6.

HI - Honest Information conducted an exclusive interview with one of the released individuals, Ma Thandar Soe.

HI: Which armed group detained you sisters? Why do you think they detained you?

Ma Thandar Soe: Mainly because the guides were bad—that's why we got caught. The guides didn't choose a safe route; they deliberately picked a risky one. Why? When the two men traveling with us escaped, the guides did nothing and just let them go freely. Later, when we inquired back in Maungdaw, we learned from responsible people that those guides were involved with them. Now those guides have disappeared.

They (RSO) said they detained us thinking we were AA (Arakan Army) members. They kept asking, "Aren't you AA people?" We replied that we are not AA; we are NGO staff. But they didn't believe us and kept investigating our backgrounds.

HI: Can you describe in detail how you were detained?

Ma Thandar Soe: We were detained on the Bangladesh side. It was around late evening. Our group included 2 women, 1 child, plus 2 men going for treatment, and 3 male guides. There was also 1 elderly woman. But at the moment of detention, it was 2 men, 2 women, 1 child, and 3 guides.

Three young men in white camouflage uniforms carrying guns detained us first. Then more RSO members arrived, about 7 in total. When they first caught us, only 3 RSO were there—they focused on us and chased us, but ignored the elderly woman, so she escaped by running.

As it got dark, they separated the men, women, and child. While separating us, we heard someone jumping down from a hill. At that moment, they left one RSO with us and the rest went after the sound. We also heard gunshots. Soon after, they returned with some blood on their bodies. One RSO said in Muslim language, "We killed your husbands." But actually, it was a lie—the two men had escaped.

After the two men fled, the RSO didn't leave us alone; they tied us with ropes, blindfolded our eyes with cloth, and took us to their camp.

HI: What happened inside the camp?

Ma Thandar Soe: When we arrived at the camp, they served us dinner (rice), but we didn't eat. At night, they gave each of us two blankets to sleep. Since it was so cold, we took the blankets. We saw them busy with their phones. One younger RSO asked if I knew him. When I mentioned the village he lived in, it was very close to mine, so I told him about the elders from the village. Then he video-called his mother and made me talk to her. His mother asked why they had detained me and told him to release me. His mother knew me—before the 2017 conflict, our villages were close, so we knew each other. Now, that young RSO's mother and family live in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.

After that, he video-called his wife and made me talk to her too. Then they said they would release us and not to be afraid. We didn't believe them—we thought we were going to die. A little later, the camp leader received a phone call (probably ordering them not to harm us). From that moment, their tone changed to gentle. Among the RSO who detained us, two members knew me—they lived in Maungdaw before the 2017 issues and fled to Bangladesh afterward.

HI: How did you find out they would release you?

Ma Thandar Soe: On the morning of January 5, they removed our blindfolds. One of them said that when someone comes to pick us up, we should go back. But we didn't trust them—we thought they might take us somewhere else. If that happened, we planned to run away if possible. Later, two young RSO members (around 19–20 years old) escorted us to the guides who came from the Maungdaw side.

HI: How did you know it was the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO)?

Ma Thandar Soe: When they removed the face coverings, we saw "RSO" written on the badges of their uniforms. That's how we knew it was the RSO group.

HI: What happened to the three male guides who brought you?

Ma Thandar Soe: After the two men escaped, the RSO simply released the three guides. It seems they knew each other—they spoke in Muslim language among themselves. The guides spoke Muslim language even better than the Muslims themselves. We couldn't understand much of what they said. Basically, they were colluding.

HI: During detention, were there any beatings or inappropriate actions?

Ma Thandar Soe: Except for tying us with ropes and blindfolding us when the men escaped, there was no physical contact or mistreatment. When they searched us, the sister with me and I searched each other ourselves.

HI: Did they confiscate your phones, money, or belongings?

Ma Thandar Soe: They took our phones at the beginning. They didn't take anything else. When releasing us, they returned the phones.

HI: What was paid for your release?

Ma Thandar Soe: 150,000 Taka (over 5.2 million Myanmar Kyat) was arranged and paid through a broker who negotiated with the RSO at the border, coordinated by an AA battalion commander. We had to repay that amount the RSO demanded.

HI: How are the psychological conditions of the other woman and child who were detained with you?

Ma Thandar Soe: Now they seem normal. After returning, they're laughing and cheerful again. The situation is stable. The child has reunited with family and friends and seems to have forgotten it like a dream.

HI: You mentioned writing to the UN's IIMM (Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar) in Dhaka requesting assistance—was your release due to their intervention?

Ma Thandar Soe: They said they realized we were NGO staff, and because we knew people and paid the demanded money. They don't know if IIMM intervened or not.

HI: Since you went for medical treatment, did you get treated? If not, how will you handle your health issues?

Ma Thandar Soe: We didn't get treatment. Strangely, the illness I had seems to have improved.

HI: With the military airstrikes and these kinds of detentions at the border, what do you want to say about the challenges locals face for life-and-death matters like healthcare?

Ma Thandar Soe: Here, the junta frequently bombs hospitals and clinics with aircraft, so people are afraid to go to hospitals. For serious illnesses, treatment isn't available locally. Even doctors themselves flee to India sometimes; others go to Bangladesh. There are two routes. The Bangladesh route is unsafe, and the India route often gets blocked from the Rakhine side. In this situation, people have to be extremely careful with their health. If something happens, it's 70% chance of death and only 30% chance of survival.

HI: Anything else you'd like to add?

Ma Thandar Soe: Going to the Bangladesh side is very dangerous. If possible, please avoid going there as much as you can.

HI: Thank you.

source@honestinformation