Worsening Situation in Thaton: Two-Men Motorcycle Riders Targeted for Forced Conscription

May 12, 2025

In a disturbing escalation, the military junta has ramped up forced recruitment efforts in Thaton Township, Mon State, by arresting two men traveling together on motorcycles, according to local sources.

Ahead of the upcoming Batch 13 military training, junta forces have been actively detaining male motorcycle riders across Thaton since May 8. Locals report that any two men seen riding a motorcycle together are being arrested immediately, regardless of where they are spotted.

“The situation in Thaton is really bad right now. If two men are seen on one motorcycle, they’re arrested on the spot. It doesn’t matter where you are. They’re desperate for recruits. The police station is full of detainees,” shared a resident of Thaton.

Authorities are demanding 1 million kyats per motorcycle and 1 million kyats per person for their release. Those unable to pay the bribe are being forcibly sent to military training camps.

Within just three days—from May 8 to May 10—at least 40 men riding motorcycles in pairs have been arrested. Only those who could afford the payment or who had connections to junta-affiliated families have been released, residents said.

This tactic is not entirely new. Back in October 2023, the junta had already issued an order in Thaton Township banning two men from riding together on a motorcycle and prohibiting men from riding as passengers on motorcycles driven by women, citing “security concerns” in areas where resistance forces were active.

Now, the junta is using this rule to justify widespread arrests and forced conscription.

Since the enforcement of the People’s Military Service Law in Mon State, over 2,000 individuals have been forcibly conscripted in training batches 1 through 12. Most of those who graduated from the trainings have been sent directly to the frontlines, often with little preparation or support.

Locals in Thaton express growing fear and anger as daily life becomes increasingly dangerous under the junta’s desperate recruitment drive.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News