Junta raids gold mines and arrests 30 workers in Kyike Hto

September 15, 2025

HURFOM: On September 9^th, 2025, the junta’s army raided six gold mines in Ta Gay Chaung Pyar and Hgnat Pyaw Taw villages, Kyike Hto Township, Mon State, and arrested more than 30 gold mine workers including men and women.

The underaged and adult workers were released after paying a certain amount of ransom; however, the young workers are still in detention. Moreover, the junta’s army has also barred them from having contact with their family members.

The arrested were firstly detained at the King Mon Camp in Kyike Hto; however, no one knows their current whereabouts now. Therefore, the locals think they were forcefully collected as conscripts.

“Some were released after paying money but the remaining are still in detention. Now, no one knows where they were sent to. Some said they were forcefully collected as conscripts,” said a resident who wants to stay anonymous.

The junta’s army raided six gold mines; arrested workers and also seized mobile phones, motorbikes, gasoline tanks and industrial machinery.

“They occupied the gold mines and arrested the workers. Then, they seized phones, motorbikes and even the empty gasoline tanks. They arrested 30 workers from three gold mines,” said a local source.

The locals said the owners of the six gold mines had paid taxes to the Karen National Union and that was the reason of the raid, arrest and seizure by the junta’s army. However, HURFOM is still unable to confirm the source.

Kyike Hto and Bilin Townships of Mon State have more than 300 gold mine and some of them have been operating under the junta while some of them have been paying taxed to the KNU for their operation.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News