Weekly Analysis: Military Junta Deploys Violence at Checkpoints While Continuing to Extort Travellers in Southeastern Burma
May 12, 2025
The military junta has used a variety of corrupt and deceitful tactics to intimidate local civilians in Burma. Across targeted areas of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), in Mon State, Karen State and the Tanintharyi Region, there remain heightened uncertainties at junta-backed checkpoints.
On May 1, 2025, junta troops stationed near the entrance of Sein Bon village in Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, launched a surprise attack on a passing vehicle. The vehicle was ambushed by soldiers who had been lying in wait. The gunfire resulted in the deaths of three men travelling in the car. The attack occurred near the entrance to Sein Bon village, part of the Nat Kyi Sin village tract. The victims were identified as Ko Hla Myint, 40, from Phya-thone-Zu village; an unidentified man believed to be around 30 years old from Thatkhwe 4; and another man, aged 35, from Sein Bon village. All three were killed at the scene.
Read moreWin Kan Village Faces Back-to-Back Junta Airstrikes, Leaving Civilians Injured and Homes Destroyed
May 12, 2025
In yet another devastating escalation of violence, junta forces launched a second consecutive day of airstrikes against Win Kan village, leaving two more civilians injured and causing widespread destruction to civilian homes.
At around 10:40 AM on May 11, 2025, two junta-operated jet fighters dropped a 500-pound bomb and a 200-pound bomb onto the heart of Win Kan village. The explosions directly struck the homes of villagers, resulting in serious injuries and further displacement of terrified residents.
Read moreJunta Airstrike on Win Kan Village in Kyaik Hto, Leaves Civilians Injured and Homes Destroyed
May 12, 2025
In a brutal escalation of violence, junta forces launched an airstrike on Win Kan village, injuring three civilians and setting multiple homes ablaze. At around 4:00 PM, a junta-operated Y-12 aircraft dropped five bombs on the village, causing widespread destruction and terror among the residents.
Local sources confirmed that three civilians were wounded in the attack. Saw Poe Lin Lin, aged 31, and Saw Nay Toe, aged 18, suffered shrapnel injuries to their heads, legs, and arms. Immediate assistance was limited, forcing villagers to flee under extremely dangerous conditions in search of safety.
Read moreAbbot Killed by Artillery Shelling in Hlaing Kwe Village, Kawkareik Township
May 12, 2025
A respected abbot lost his life after an artillery shell hit a monastery in Hlaing Kwe village, Kawkareik Township, Karen State, according to local residents.
The tragic incident occurred around 10 a.m. on May 9, during intense fighting between junta forces and joint resistance groups near Kyon Doe Town. An artillery shell landed directly on the Hlaing Kwe village monastery, seriously injuring the abbot, U Thu Zar Ta, who was inside at the time.
Read moreWorsening 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.
Read moreTwo Children Injured and a Home Destroyed by Junta Artillery in Yam Pho Village, Myeik District
May 10, 2025
Two young children were injured and a house was destroyed after junta forces fired artillery shells into Yam Pho village, Ban Lamut village tract, Tanintharyi Township, Myeik District, despite no clashes occurring in the area, according to local sources.
On the morning of May 8, at around 9:00 AM, Light Infantry Battalion No. 556, based in Za Wae village, launched four rounds of 60-mm mortar shells. Two of the shells exploded near a residential home where goods were being sold, injuring a five-year-old and a six-year-old child who were nearby. The impact also caused the house to catch fire and burn down.
Read moreTwo Young Men Arbitrarily Arrested After Being Accused of Links to Local Armed Resistance Forces in Kyaik Hto, Mon State
May 10, 2025
Two young men were forcibly arrested by junta forces in Kyaik Hto Township, Mon State, under accusations of having ties to local armed resistance forces, according to local sources.
At around 5:00 AM on May 8, junta troops raided the home of 18-year-old Zwe Marn Oo in Taung Kalay village and arrested him without presenting any warrant. Just two days earlier, on the night of May 6 at approximately 11:00 PM, 20-year-old Minn Khant Ko from Zayar Mon Ward in Kyaik Hto was also arrested in a similar raid at his home.
Read moreGrowing Pressure on Townships in Mon State as Junta Expands Forced Recruitment Drive for Batch 13
May 10, 2025
Local sources confirm that township administrators in Mon State townships have received direct orders from the Mon State Junta to forcibly conscript at least 40 individuals each from Thanbyuzayat, Ye, Kyaikhto, Thaton, Kyaikmayaw, and Paung Townships for the upcoming People’s Military Service Training Batch 13. The training is scheduled to begin in the third or fourth week of May 2025.
According to township and village administrators, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, the junta has placed intense pressure on local administrative committees to meet these quotas without exception.
“Each township must send 40 youths. We have been told to ensure full numbers are collected, or we face serious repercussions,” said a member of an administrative committee. He also explained that local authorities are being forced to collect military service funds monthly and that failure to meet recruitment targets could result in personal punishment or dismissal.
Read moreJunta Orders Paung Township to Provide 40 Recruits for Upcoming Conscription Training Batch 13
May 9, 2025
Local administrators in Paung Township, Mon State, report that the junta has ordered them to deliver at least 40 recruits for the upcoming Batch 13 of the People’s Military Service Training, expected to begin in the last week of May 2025. According to sources, village and ward administrators are under mounting pressure to meet this quota, with threats of punishment if they fail to comply.
“The order is clear: Paung Township must send 40 recruits for Batch 13,” said one local administrator who requested anonymity for security reasons. “Those of us who can’t meet the target are being threatened or blamed. Many are turning to questionable methods—some are even buying and handing over young men who have been detained for petty crimes.”
Read moreBrutal Assault on Political Prisoners Inside Hpa-An Taungkalay Prison Raises Alarm on Systematic Abuse and Impunity
May 9, 2025
On April 30, 2025, two political prisoners—Ko Kyaw Kyaw Myint, serving a 15-year sentence, and Ko Min Thu Soe, serving a 4-year sentence—were severely beaten by a group of criminal inmates inside Hpa-An’s Taungkalay Prison, Kayin State. The attack took place in full view of prison authorities and is part of a growing pattern of violence targeting political detainees under the current military junta’s prison system.
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Latest Headlines
- Weekly Analysis: Airstrikes in Southeastern Burma Force Civilians to Flee as Junta Increases Attacks
- Monetary incentive plays big role in hiring substitutes for conscription
- Junta kills 14 people within a month in Kaw Ka Rate and Kyone Doe
- Junta pressures schools to operate despite military tension in Kyone Doe
- Junta seizes PSI satellite receivers in Ye Township: Right to information violated
- Three Civilians, Including a Child, Killed and Injured by Junta’s Indiscriminate Shelling in Bilin Township
- Junta arrests more than 230 Tenasserim residents within a month
- Junta bombing kills two villagers in Kyone Doe
- Frequent robberies and murders create fear for residents in Three Pagoda Pass
- Displaced resident returns home to collect “things” — killed by artillery attack
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