At least five civil servants and local administrative staff have been held incommunicado in the Rakhine State capital of Sittwe for more than two weeks, with families cut off from all contact and unconfirmed reports suggesting one detainee may have died in custody. A joint force of military personnel and police arrested the five individuals from their homes on July 20. “We haven’t had any contact with them since their arrest,” a source close to one of the families told Narinjara. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Ko Kyaw San Tin may have died during interrogation by military intelligence officers. Human rights groups report a sharp escalation in arbitrary arrests across Sittwe as military forces tighten control over the dwindling regime-held city.