The chairperson of the Kachin National Consultative Committee (WMR), Hkalam Samson, was arrested at Mandalay International Airport on the morning of Dec. 5. “Sayargyi [Hkalam Samson] was arrested at Mandalay international airport on the way to Bangkok for a medical check-up. His whereabouts are currently unknown,” a family member said. Samson met with former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 to raise awareness about the religious persecution faced by non-Buddhists in Burma. Samson’s whereabouts are currently unknown and the motive behind the detention is unclear, according to the Samson family.
