Travelers and locals report that inspections at the Abit checkpoint along the Abit–Kale–Tagundaing border road, connecting Mon and Karen States, have become more stringent after the military commission reinforced troops there.
“There are now a lot of soldiers stationed at Abit checkpoint. They check every vehicle. It’s better for men not to travel if possible because the inspections are very strict. When you get there, they order passengers to get off the vehicles and walk. If cars pass at unusual hours in the evenings, they arrest everyone. Yesterday, a car heading toward Mudon was stopped because of heavy rain. All the young men inside were taken away, including some from Nyaung Kone. Families tried negotiating with money to secure their release, but they weren’t freed,” said a local woman.
The Abit checkpoint is on the Mudon–Kyaikmaraw–Three Pagodas Pass road, a route frequently used for illegal crossings into Thailand.
Hundreds of vehicles used to pass through this road daily, but locals say passenger vehicles have now completely stopped operating.
“The road’s not closed, but passenger cars don’t dare to go anymore. Just one or two cargo trucks still pass. It’s not that the military shut the checkpoint; it’s just that inspections are way stricter now. Before, drivers could just explain a bit and move on. Now they check every passenger—ID cards, ask questions, everything. They even question the drivers themselves,” said a villager living near the road.
On July 31, the military commission declared Kyaikmaraw Township—including Kawkareik, a resistance stronghold—a military-administered township.
A Kyaikmaraw resident said that after the declaration, the military battalion based in Taung Kalay village indiscriminately shelled areas in the township with heavy weapons and reinforced checkpoints.
“I don’t think the strict checks at Abit are really about stopping illegal border crossers. They used to inspect before, but not like this. After they announced martial law in Kyaikmaraw, just three days later, troops from Taung Kalay fired heavy weapons toward villages and rubber plantations in the township. We’ve seen more soldiers at other checkpoints, too,” he said.
Locals noted that the Abit checkpoint had previously been temporarily shut down after joint resistance forces attacked it with heavy weapons and drones. However, this time, inspections have become even harsher than before.
