Weekly Analysis: Arbitrary Arrests and Enforced Disappearances on the Rise as Junta Targets Locals

December 23, 2024

HURFOM: The military junta uses arbitrary arrests as a tool to exert fear over innocent civilians. Since the attempted coup, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has documented those arrested and unlawfully detained by the junta in targeted areas of Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi region. In addition to arbitrary arrests, the military is also regularly detaining villagers who are not heard from again by their families.

The military junta detained the owner of a six-wheeled Canter truck allegedly used by the Ye Township resistance force (Ye Balu group) during their attack on the administrator of Ayu Taung village, according to the vehicle owner’s family and close contacts.

On November 23, members of the Ye Balu group reportedly seized the white Canter truck, which was parked on the roadside. They used it to launch an attack on U Lin Oo, the village administrator and militia leader, in Ayu Taung village.

“The truck owner had no knowledge of his vehicle being taken. He is about 25 years old and has been detained by the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 343,” said a close contact of the detained individual. Villagers have asserted that the truck owner has no connections with any organization, but the junta has accused him of collaborating with a resistance group.

As of December 12, the detained truck owner has not been released.

The attack on November 23 occurred around 9:45 a.m. when members of the Ye Balu group arrived at the Ayu Taung village administrator’s office using the seized truck. The incident led to an exchange of gunfire.

During the skirmish, the administrator, U Lin Oo, suffered severe injuries. Additionally, a militia member and two civilians attending a donation event, U Aung Win and Daw Myint San, were wounded by stray bullets.

In a separate case, nearly 50 male lead miners in Khoe Kyun, Boke Pyin Township, Myeik District, have been missing for almost two months after being arrested by junta troops.

The miners were engaged in lead exploration and extraction using rafts in the Khoe Kyun area when junta forces arrived by boat on October 31. During the operation, the troops captured every male miner present, sparing only women and children.

The arrested miners include local Boke Pyin residents and migrant workers from other regions.

“The junta is the one that grants mining permissions, but they also came back to arrest them,” said a local man familiar with the situation.

Following their detention, the miners were reportedly taken to the No. 13 Operations Command Headquarters (Sakakha-13) in Boke Pyin Township and later transferred to the local police station. However, as of December 16, the families of the detainees have been unable to establish contact or learn the reasons behind their arrests.

In the aftermath, raft owners involved in the lead mining operations reportedly negotiated with junta troops, who demanded five lakh MMK per raft for their release.

Khoe Kyun, where the arrests occurred, is located between Alae Man and Stain villages. Only about ten households are nearby. The situation has left families anxious and unsure of their loved one’s fate, highlighting the ongoing instability in the region.

Overview of Main Cases

Nearly 50 Lead Miners Arrested by Junta in Boke Pyin Township Remain Missing for Two Months

Nearly 50 male lead miners in Khoe Kyun, Boke Pyin Township, Myeik District, have been missing for almost two months after being arrested by junta troops.

The miners were engaged in lead exploration and extraction using rafts in the Khoe Kyun area when junta forces arrived by boat on October 31. During the operation, the troops captured every male miner present, sparing only women and children.

Woman Killed by Junta Troops During Clash in Long Lone Township

A woman was shot and killed by junta troops during an exchange of fire with resistance forces near Pyilon Chan Thar Pagoda in Inn Sokk village, Long Lone Township, Dawei District, on December 13.

The incident occurred at 6 AM when a convoy of junta troops, comprising three cars and nine trucks, returning from Min Yat village to Long Lone, was ambushed by resistance forces. The attack led to a gunfight.

Young Rubber Tapper Killed by Landmine in Mon State

A young man lost his life to a landmine explosion near Kone Myint Thayar village in the Sakan Gyi village tract of Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State, on December 10. The victim, Maung Thet Aung, in his early 20s, had left his home in Pa Nga village on December 4 to tap rubber at Kone Myint Thayar but failed to return.

His family, growing concerned, began searching for him. On December 10, his body was discovered in the rubber plantation where he had been working. Although the injuries caused by the landmine were not instantly fatal, locals believe he succumbed to his wounds.