In Ye Township, Mon State, where the fighting between the military junta and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDF) joint forces is fierce, some armed groups are arresting residents and attempting to extort money, report local residents.
At night, locals are being detained by unknown armed organizations under the pretext of a curfew and forced to pay money.
In early September, an unknown armed group arrested a villager from Kaninkamawt. He was held overnight and, according to a Kaninkamawt resident who was close to the arrested individual, the group demanded 500,000 Kyat for his release the following day.
“It appears the victim’s car broke down at 6 o’clock in the evening. He was then held overnight by an unknown armed group. In the morning, his daughter went to investigate her father’s disappearance and discovered that he had been arrested. The family had to pay 500,000 to secure his release,” he said.
Some individuals have been arrested while going to their farm, and others detained while working in the fishing industry. According to local reports, some of those arrested were forced to pay 400,000 Kyat, while others were released after paying 500,000 Kyats.
There have also been threats of death for those who don’t pay. Residents are worried and feel very insecure.
“If it’s past 5 o’clock, we don’t dare to go anywhere. They’re catching people regardless of age or size. Once they’re arrested, they have to pay. There are also threats that they’ll kill me if we don’t pay. I’m not sure which group they belong to. They only speak Burmese,” said a resident of Kawcha village.
Since the military junta has intensified its efforts to control areas in Ye Township, fighting has increased.
Frequent battles take place in Ye Township, where martial law has been declared, and there have been reports of arrests and killings of civilians, as well as incidents of theft, robbery, and home burglaries.
