Rights group calls for urgent probe after Myanmar activist abducted in Malaysia

Global rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) today urged the government to prioritise a thorough and transparent investigation into the abduction of a Myanmar refugee activist and her family in Malaysia, voicing concern over the possibility of a "planned operation".

In a statement, HRW said that based on reports from witnesses and CCTV footage, unidentified men posing as policemen abducted Thuzar Maung, 46; her husband, Saw Than Tin Win, 43; her daughter, Poeh Khing Maung, 16; and her sons, Aung Myint Maung, 21, and Thukha Maung, 17, on July 4 after entering their gated community residence in Ampang Jaya.

"We fear that Thuzar Maung and her family were abducted in a planned operation and are at grave risk.

"The Malaysian government should urgently act to locate the family and ensure their safety," said HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson.

According to HRW, at 4.30pm on July 4, a car entered the gated community where the family lived, and the alleged abductors got past the security after identifying themselves as policemen.

"Two hours later, Thuzar Maung was on the phone with a friend, who heard her yell to her husband that unknown men were entering the house, before being disconnected.

"At about 7.10pm, the same car and the two cars owned by Thuzar Maung’s family were seen leaving the compound. Thuzar Maung’s phone and the phones of her husband and children appear to have been immediately turned off, as no calls have gone through since," Pearson said.

She added that CCTV footage at the guard booth captured the licence plate of the alleged police car, which the police have since identified as fake.

Thuzar Maung, also known as Thu Zar Moung, was described as an outspoken supporter of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement.

She is the chair of the Myanmar Muslim Refugee Community and Myanmar Migrant Workers Committee and has worked closely with Myanmar's opposition National Unity Government.

Thuzar Maung fled Myanmar for Malaysia in 2015 and is recognised along with her family by the United Nations High Commission For Refugees as refugees in Malaysia.