Seven young men from Duya Village in Ye Township, Mon State, were arrested overnight by military junta troops on November 21 and remain in detention, according to local sources.
The arrests occurred around 11 p.m. on November 25, when junta soldiers pursued a young man from Palaingthein Village who was fleeing after an alleged robbery. The man abandoned his motorcycle and ran into a house in the We Gu ward of Duya Village. Soldiers entered the house and detained six young men who were eating together inside, along with the fleeing suspect.
A village administrator close to the incident said the junta troops questioned the group and took all seven away after checking their phones.
“The soldiers chased a man from Palaingthein. He ran into a house with no gate at the fence. Inside, six young men were sitting and eating. They searched everyone, and when they saw gun photos on someone’s phone, they took all of them to Ye Police Station. Many soldiers were involved,” the administrator said.
The homeowner, an older man, was reportedly beaten before the troops took the seven young men to Ye Township Police Station.
Village elders who visited the police station on November 25 said authorities allowed them to see only five of the detainees. The other two were not shown, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
One young man who had gun photos on his phone, and the suspect accused of robbery from Palaingthein Village, have not been located, locals said.
“Not all of them were released. When the elders went to check yesterday, they saw only five. The other two are missing, and we don’t know where they were taken. Their parents are crying and very worried. They are all very young, some have not even entered monkhood yet,” said a local resident.
The detainees are between 20 and 22 years old. A resident said parents are especially worried because the military junta troops often detain locals for refusing to pay money.
Locals also fear arbitrary arrests, as the junta frequently accuses residents of supporting or having links to PDFs, providing financial assistance, or other alleged offences.
On November 16, junta troops clearing the Taung Sun–Ahryutaung–Taungbon–Mawt Ka Nin road reportedly detained at least 20 travelers and field workers on November 13 and used them as human shields before releasing them.
Arbitrary arrests continue in Mon State, where the military junta targets civilians under forced conscription orders, suppresses anti-election movements, and intensifies actions related to border-region online scam operations.
