Military junta troops conducting an operation in Bilin Township, Mon State, arrested five local young men, according to local residents.
More than 200 junta troops entered Bilin Township on December 12, advancing in separate columns into Hpoewarthein, Ahlugyi, and Ahlulay villages, residents said.
During the operation, the troops arrested three men from Hpoewarthein village and two men from Ahlugyi village. The column reportedly withdrew from the area on December 14.
The five arrested villagers are all young men in their early 20s and above. Local sources said they are currently being held at the headquarters of Light Infantry Division 44, based in Kyaikto Township.
“We heard that the three from Hpoewarthein and the two from Ahlugyi were taken to Kyaikto, but we still don’t know the details. Their family members are trying to find information,” a local resident said.
Families of the arrested men are worried that they may be sent for military service training and are making efforts to secure their release, residents added.
On December 12, during the same military operation in Hpoewarthein village, military junta troops also fired mortar shells into the village, killing at least two residents and injuring no fewer than three others, according to local reports.
Residents said that during repeated military operations in Bilin Township, junta troops frequently arrest local people. While some are later released, many are sent to military service training centers.
