In Kyar Inn Seik Kyi and Kawkareik Townships, Karen State, where martial law has been in place since January 2, 2023, there have been more searches, arrests and demands for money, according to local residents.
Martial law includes a curfew, requiring all residents to be indoors from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
After the order was issued, military council forces entered Kyar Inn Seik Kyi and daily life has become more stringent than before.
“We have seen reinforcements at checkpoints. Also, the military council is stricter than before,” said one resident of Kyar Inn Seik Kyi.
Anyone who violates the 6:00 pm and 6:00 am curfew are threatened with arrest or beaten, or simply shot.
“At around 5:00 p.m., the shop was already closed. If we are a little late, we will be arrested and punished. All the shops that sell at night are closed, so it’s difficult to make a living. Some of those who were caught were ransomed for money,” said a resident of Kyar Inn Seik Kyi.
According to local residents of Kyar Inn Seik, at least 20 people have been arrested since martial law was declared.
In Kawkareik Township, there have also been more inspections and extortion is getting worse. At least 15 people have been arrested in Kawkareik township since martial law was declared.
“They don’t dare to leave the house at 6 o’clock at night. The people who have been arrested now are ordinary people who don’t know anything about the news. They were arrested from where they went to work, thinking that they could get out,” said a Kawkareik resident.
As more stringent inspections and arrests have been made, the people of Kyar Inn Seik Kyi Township and Kawkareik Township are living in fear.
