The robbery gang led by Mon Chan, active in southern Ye Township, Mon State, and Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division, surrendered their weaponry to Tatmadaw’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 280, based in Tenasserim Division, last Friday.
The arms submission ceremony took place at the monastery in Kin Mon Chaung Village, Yebyu Township on May 6. In attendance were government officials from Tenasserim Division, the border affairs minister of the division, officials from LIB No. 280, local villagers and Mon Chan’s gang.
“The arms submission ceremony was held in Kin Mon Chaung Village this [May 6] morning. Mon Chan and his 18 men were there. 12 weapons and lots of bullets were handed over,” said a villager.
The villager added that the Tenasserism Division government officials and border affairs minister also financially awarded Mon Chan and his men.
After surrendering, Mon Chan and his 18 men will be transferred to the militia men. They will then serve in Pauk Pin Kwin Village or Kin Mon Chaung Village, Yebyu Township, according to locals.
On April 29, three representatives from Mon Chan’s gang met with officials from LIB No. 280, along with locals from Natgyi Sin, Pauk Pin Kwin and Kin Mon Chaung villages at the monastery in Kin Mon Chaung Village, Yebyu Township. During the meeting, both sides agreed to the disarmament of Mon Chan’s twenty bandits, currently holding 12 guns, under the direction of LIB No. 280.
There are several gangs like the Mon Chan-led group active throughout southern Ye Township and Yebyu Township. Mon Chan’s gang is one of the strongest in the area.
In 2014, the Tatmadaw offered and appointed Mon Chan the role of vice-leader of the Mon Peace and Defense Front (MPDF), led by Nai Bin, to defeat active crime rackets in southern Ye Township. However, soon after he left the MPDF with his men to commit abduction, robbery and extortion, crimes he is widely known for.
