A man with a mental health condition was taken for conscription in Mawlamyine, #Mon, as arrests of local men continue

November 4, 2025

HURFOM: Residents in Mawlamyine, Mon State, say men are being picked up one after another as the Junta pushes ahead with its planned “election.” On September 27, around 10 p.m., 27-year-old Maung Thet Naing Oo, who lives near Mawlamyine University in Taung Wine Ward, was detained while chewing betel in front of his home. A passing military patrol truck stopped and seized him on the spot, according to a neighbor. A missing-person post about him briefly appeared on Facebook but was deleted within a day. Family members say Thet Naing Oo experiences episodes of mental illness. His mother has been in tears almost every day since he was taken. That same night, five other men were detained by the same patrol.

Relatives visited the Southeast Command and the Military Recruitment Office several times seeking information. Only recently were they told that Thet Naing Oo is alive and in military custody.

Arrests have continued. On November 2, around 6 p.m., two more men were taken in Thiri Myine Ward. A market vendor said Pyu Saw Htee militias, together with soldiers and police, are leading the arrest operations. “They are going door to door. If a man from a wealthy family is picked up, payment can be made and someone else is taken in his place and sent to training,” she said.

A source close to the military reported that nearly 4,000 men have been conscripted across Mon State from Batch 1 to Batch 18, with roughly 230 recruits taken each month. Many young men now avoid leaving home. Families describe living with constant fear and uncertainty.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News