Weekly Analysis: Displaced Villagers Unable to Return Home in Conflict-Torn Mon State

March 10, 2025

Throughout targeted areas of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), including Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi Region, attacks by the junta have been forcing civilians to flee.

Despite no active fighting around Kyone Long (Old) village in Ye Township, Mon State, junta troops remain stationed in the area, preventing 456 displaced villagers from returning to their homes. Junta soldiers have set up camp at a monastery in Eye Poke village, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity for those who fled.

“We don’t dare to return as long as the military is in the village. It’s simply not safe. Going back home would mean risking our lives right now,” said a displaced villager.

With their homes still inaccessible, many villagers have been forced to seek refuge in the mountains, forests, and plantations near the New Mon State Party-controlled Pha Lan Chaung Wa and Upper Yit Chaung villages.

Some families from the Well Bine and Well Zin villages have attempted to return but only stay home during the day. At night, they retreat to the nearby forests and plantations for safety.

“Even those who returned to their villages can only stay during daylight hours. Once night falls, they have no choice but to sleep in the plantations,” a recently returned villager said.

The crisis began on January 9, 2025, when an armed clash erupted in the village of Kyone Long (Old), forcing thousands to flee. The attack destroyed 15 homes and tragically took the lives of two villagers. For those still displaced, the uncertainty continues. As long as junta troops occupy their villages, returning home remains a distant hope.

Overview of Main Cases

Young Travelers Arrested at Than Bridge Checkpoint in Bilin, Mon State

At the Than Bridge checkpoint on the Yangon–Mawlamyine highway in Tha Pyay Ni village, Bilin Township, Mon State, at least seven young travelers were arrested by the military junta’s troops, according to local sources.

On March 2, around noon, two young men traveling by motorcycle from Thaton to Bilin were stopped at the checkpoint. After soldiers had checked their phones, they were immediately taken into custody, a witness reported.

Father and Daughter Detained by Junta’s Infantry Battalion No. 106 in Ye Township—Daughter Released After Two Months, But Father Remains Jailed

A father and daughter from Mokanin village, Ye Township, Mon State, were detained by junta forces from Infantry Battalion 106 and lost contact with their family for more than two months. Recently, the daughter was released, but her father remains behind bars with no sign of being freed.

Junta Bombs Winka Phaw Village in Tha Yet Chaung Township Despite No Clashes

The junta launched an airstrike on Winka Phaw village, located in the Taung Pyaok area of Tha Yet Chaung Township, Dawei District, despite no active fighting in the area.

At approximately 1:30 PM on March 3, a junta jet fighter dropped bombs on the village, causing injuries and destruction. Reports confirm that four civilians were injured, including a 10-year-old boy, a woman in her 60s, a man in his 50s, and another man in his 40s.

Junta Escalates Airstrikes on Villages in Southern Kawkareik as Fighting Intensifies

Since the start of 2025, fighting between the Karen National Liberation Army resistance forces and the junta troops in southern Kawkareik Township, Karen State, has continued to escalate. However, despite the active clashes, the junta has increasingly targeted civilian villages with airstrikes, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

In the early hours of March 5, at around 1:30 AM, a junta fighter jet dropped bombs twice on Ah-Soon village in southern Kawkareik Township. The attack destroyed five houses and injured two civilians, local sources confirmed.

Impact Summary

45+
Civilian homes, monasteries, community halls, and essential sources of livelihood were destroyed.
12+
Cases of enforced disappearance (all youth) across HURFOM-targeted areas.
30+
Cases of forced portering and human shields against civilians in all targeted areas.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under Analysis, News