Civilians Bear the Brunt of Escalating Junta Violence

October 6, 2025

This past week has once again laid bare the relentless cruelty of the Junta and its allied forces across Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi Region. The pattern is unmistakable: arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, indiscriminate airstrikes, and the systematic use of civilians as human shields are escalating, while families continue to lose homes, livelihoods, and loved ones.

HURFOM field sources confirmed at least 38 people arrested, including those who remain missing and are believed to be held in junta custody in Mawlamyine, Thaton, and Ye. More than 29 people were detained, 17 injured, and 8 killed. Among the most alarming cases was the abduction of 35 civilians from Kayin Lay Seik Village on 28 September, including a 13-year-old child and elderly women, who are feared to be forced to the frontlines as human shields. In Ye Township, a military column of over 250 troops stormed multiple villages on 25 September, taking more than 30 villagers in the same way.

Arbitrary arrests for conscription also continue. On 23 September, ten men were seized in Mawlamyine and forced into the junta’s 18th training batch, some of them married and over 40 years old. Extortion compounds the suffering: HURFOM documented at least 40 cases of ransom payments, with families forced to pay up to one million kyats to prevent their sons from being conscripted or to recover confiscated motorbikes.

The week was marked by shocking sexual violence. In Oak Tu village, Tanintharyi Region, a 75-year-old woman with a leg amputation was raped by a junta soldier on 27 September. In Bokpyin Township, a 20-year-old woman was repeatedly raped after being taken from her home. These deliberate acts of sexual violence demonstrate the impunity with which soldiers operate, targeting the most vulnerable without fear of accountability.

Meanwhile, the junta has continued to terrorize communities through air and ground assaults. On 29 September, kamikaze drones struck a school in Minn Lat Pan village, Karen State. The school was closed, sparing lives, but the building was heavily damaged. In Dawei District, at least 73 homes were burned in Kyauk Hlay Karr village between 29–30 September, part of an arson campaign that left families with nothing. Fighting in the Dawei Special Economic Zone forced thousands to flee as clashes raged for two consecutive days.

The toll on civilians is devastating: more than 90 homes destroyed, 17 documented cases of civilians forced as human shields, and at least 37–40 young people pushed into junta military training in just one week. New displacement figures are staggering: over 2,000 in Mon, 5,000 in Karen, and 6,500 in Tanintharyi have fled their homes.

These attacks are not isolated incidents. They are part of a deliberate strategy by the junta to instill fear, punish communities, and maintain control ahead of its sham election. Civilians—women, children, the elderly—are paying the highest price.

HURFOM strongly urges the international community, ASEAN, and UN mechanisms to move beyond statements of concern. We call for urgent action to end forced conscription, protect civilians from airstrikes and sexual violence, and hold perpetrators accountable under international law. The evidence is mounting week by week. Justice delayed will only deepen the suffering of our people.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under Commentary