Weekly Analysis: Civilians Used as Human Shields by the Military Junta in Dawei

October 27, 2025

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) is significantly concerned over reports of civilians being used as human shields in Dawei. Residents from at least five villages in the Kyauk Zin village tract of Launglon Township have been forced to flee after Junta troops launched a military advance into the area. Local sources confirmed that the soldiers arrested several villagers and used them as human shields during their movement.

The Junta military column, estimated at over 100 troops, entered Thabot Seik village, adjacent to Kyauk Zin village, on the morning of October 20. According to a resident from Thabot Seik, some villagers were captured while travelling on local roads.

“They came by boat and spent one night in Kyauk Zin. The next morning, they moved toward Thabot Seik and arrested locals they met along the way to use them as human shields. There hasn’t been fighting, but it feels inevitable, and now everyone is extremely worried,” said the villager.

Local sources reported that the troops arrived at Kyauk Zin from the western sea by navy vessel on the morning of October 19. The following afternoon, at least two artillery shells were fired from the navy ship positioned west of Kyauk Zin village. Fearing escalating violence, residents from Kyauk Zin, Thabot Seik, Pyin Gyi, Kayin Gyi, and Kanpanee villages have fled to safer areas. On October 20, the navy vessel repositioned from west of Kyauk Zin to waters near Myaw Yit Pagoda, close to Kanpanee village.

This marks the first military incursion into the Kyauk Zin village tract in 2025, following a previous operation in August last year. Locals said they fear renewed raids and arbitrary arrests as the Junta intensifies its offensives across Laung Lone Township.

The overall situation in Dawei District remains tense. Residents from Za Di Village Tract, located in the Kanbauk area of Yebyu Township, have been fleeing their homes since the second week of October as Junta troops advance into the area. Beginning around October 12, soldiers from Infantry Battalion 273 (based in Kanbauk) and Light Infantry Battalion 409 (from Kalein Aung) launched an operation from Phaung Taw Village, moving through Maw Gyi Village and along the Maw Gyi road toward Za Di. At the same time, troops from the Mawrawaddy Naval Base advanced by boat from Kyauk Htaran Village to join the operation.

Although no direct clashes have been reported so far, troops destroyed parts of the road inside Za Di Village and briefly detained and questioned several residents before releasing them. “Some villagers were stopped and questioned but not arrested,” said a woman from Za Di Village Tract.

As of October 15, about 100 soldiers from ground and naval units were seen marching along the Thout Wa–Bawa road near Nabulae, reportedly joining forces with Junta troops stationed in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Around 50 more soldiers are positioned near Kyauk Htaran Village, close to Za Di village.

Fearing renewed fighting, locals from Kaung Pyan, Deik Ta Kaw, and Thout Wa villages have fled once again. Za Di residents say this is not the first time they have had to escape; many have been displaced multiple times since the Kanbauk Reservoir battle in December 2024. Some who had only recently returned home have now been forced to flee again.

Those displaced along the Kanbauk–Nabulae road, which links the Dawei SEZ and nearby natural gas fields, are struggling to find safe shelter amid heavy rains, with many exposed to the weather and lacking basic protection.

Overview of Main Cases

• Junta Troops Advance in Launglon Township, Forcing Residents from Five Villages to Flee

Residents from at least five villages in the Kyauk Zin village tract of Launglon Township have been forced to flee after Junta troops launched a military advance into the area. Local sources confirmed that the soldiers arrested several villagers and used them as human shields during their movement.

The military column, estimated at over 100 troops, entered Thabot Seik village, adjacent to Kyauk Zin village, on the morning of October 20. According to a resident from Thabot Seik, some villagers were captured while traveling on local roads.

• Junta Airstrike Injures Three Villagers in Kyike Hto Township, Mon State

Three civilians, including a woman, were injured when the military carried out an airstrike on Kyauk Phyar and Nat Sin villages in Kyike Hto Township, Mon State, on the morning of October 17, 2025. The attack occurred despite no active armed clashes in the area, causing fear and panic among residents.

A fighter jet reportedly dropped two bombs over the villages.

One exploded near a house in the center of Kyauk Phyar Village, injuring two men and one woman.

• Arbitrary Arrests, Ransom Payments, and Fear Spread Among Families as Junta Officials Exploit Youths in Thaton Township, Mon State

HURFOM field sources confirm that young people in Thaton Township, Mon State, are being arbitrarily arrested, detained, and extorted for ransom payments by Junta authorities and pro-military militia forces, leaving families traumatized and financially devastated.

Residents report that Major Sann Win Aung, a member of the Thaton Township Administrative Council, and Deputy Police Lieutenant Colonel Myint Naing, the district police chief, are working together to lead these coordinated crackdowns. Dozens of young men have been kidnapped from streets and homes, then forced to pay as much as 5 million Kyat (approximately 50 lakhs) for their release.

Those unable to pay are sent directly to military training camps as forced conscripts.