Residents in parts of Mon State and Karen State are increasingly facing the consequences of lawless acts committed by armed groups, including nighttime arrests, abductions, and fatal shootings.
These incidents have left local communities living in fear and insecurity, with many residents saying they no longer feel safe in their daily lives.
Locals said movement within villages has significantly decreased at night as such incidents continue to occur.
“After hearing about these incidents, it becomes difficult to sleep again. Even if we have done nothing wrong, we are still afraid. Things are no longer like before. Nobody knows who will be arrested or who will be killed next,” said a young woman from Ye Township.
In Karen State’s Kawt Bein area, two members of a village administration team were arrested and taken away on May 6 by the Ramonnya Mon Army (RMA), which is active in the area.
A day earlier, on May 5, an elderly man from Kawt Bein was reportedly arrested by an armed group and later died.
Similar incidents have also been reported in Mudon, Thanbyuzayat, and Ye townships in Mon State, where armed men allegedly entered homes and opened fire. In some cases, victims were killed and their bodies abandoned along roadsides.
At least seven people were killed in such incidents during May alone, while those responsible have not been identified or arrested.
“When someone is shot dead now, there is no one left to take action like before. People are left to deal with it on their own,” said a resident of Mudon Township.
Meanwhile, civilian deaths have also been reported as a result of shootings by military junta forces. In addition, the military junta has continued arresting civilians and forcing them into military service.
Military junta troops and their affiliated groups have been accused of arresting civilians from their homes based solely on suspicions that they support or are connected to revolutionary groups. They have also allegedly used civilians as human shields during military operations and carried out arbitrary killings.
At the same time, some actions by revolutionary groups have also drawn criticism and raised concerns. Assassinations targeting civilians, administrators, and their family members accused of being military informants have occurred repeatedly across the region.
Some incidents appear to be linked not only to political and military issues but also to criminal networks involved in drugs and gambling that have become deeply rooted in local communities.
Since the military coup, the collapse of the rule of law has allowed various forms of gambling and drug trafficking to spread rapidly throughout the region.
“When we look at drug-related cases, military involvement, and other incidents that may be happening behind the scenes, the weakening or disappearance of the rule of law has had serious consequences. Ultimately, it is the public that suffers. People no longer feel secure in their daily lives, whether at home, at work, or while travelling. They are constantly worried about their safety,” said a human rights activist.
Following the collapse of the rule of law after the military coup, civilians have increasingly found themselves trapped between abuses committed by military junta forces and unlawful actions carried out by some revolutionary groups, leaving ordinary people to bear the consequences from both sides.
