Hkalam Samson was charged under Sec.17 (A) of the Unlawful Associations Act and the Counter-Terrorism Law on Dec. 28. Samson is the chairperson of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly-WMR. He is being held at Myitkyina Prison. “They filed him under Sec.17 (A) for attending a meeting hosted by the Kachin Independence Organization [KIO]. He was charged with terrorism for supporting the KIO,” a source said. Samson was detained at Mandalay International Airport attempting to board his flight to a medical appointment in Bangkok, according to Samson’s family. He was allowed to return to Myitkyina, but was detained upon arrival at the airport. Samson is an advisor to the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC). American Baptist Churches USA, World Kachin Congress, and other organizations have demanded his immediate release.