According to social rescue teams and residents, at least five bodies of people believed to have been killed without trial, have been discovered in recent days across Mon State, including Mawlamyine and several townships.
On the afternoon of August 6th, the bodies of male migrant workers were found near a rubber plantation in Klawt Sot village, Mudon Township. On the same day, in Htinshu village, Thanbyuzayat Township, two couples, both married, were found shot with guns. Both couples were dying from their injuries by the roadside near the town.
There has been no investigation into these cases by the authorities. A local of Mudon said, “We just found the bodies, but until now, we have not heard of any investigation. We cannot say who did it for sure.”
On the evening of August 8th, in Mawlamyine city, near the Shwetaung quarter at the Kannar and Yeibowkone street corner, locals found the body of a man who was tied with wire to a concrete fence by the Thanlwin riverbank. His body was floating in the water and was drifting downstream.
Again, no investigation has been undertaken by the authorities in this case.
There are suspicions these may be cases of extra-judicial killings committed by persons who either support the military junta, or by armed resistance groups targeting supporters of the military.
A spokesperson from Human Rights Forum Monland said, “We have seen the armed resistance emerging from future generations who do not want to have a military dictatorship at all in this country. On the other hand, there are conspirators cooperating with the State Administrative Council (SAC), who want to dominate their region. It is difficult to say who or which group may be responsible for these murders.”
In the absence of any credible investigation by authorities, cases like these remain unsolved.
Since the military coup began in 2021 , the rule of law has steadily deteriorated in Mon State. Prolonged armed conflicts and extrajudicial killings continue to occur in village communities.
