A 50-year-old woman from Maungmakan village in Tanintharyi Region has been out of contact with her family for over two weeks after being abducted by an unidentified armed group, according to sources in Launglon.
On 10 October, two unidentified gunmen abducted Daw Khin Hnaung from Lay Thar Monastery in Maungmakan village, local residents said.
A local woman from Launglon said that Daw Khin Hnaung was abducted on suspicion of being a military informant. Her family is concerned because the armed group active in the Maungmakan area has claimed no responsibility for her abduction.
“We haven’t received any updates on her situation. When we asked the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) in Launglon about her abduction, they said they hadn’t detained her. The gunmen took her, accusing her of being a military informant because her house is located next to the Maungmakan police station. Her family fears she may not survive due to the lack of information,” the local woman said.
Given the circumstances, the abductee’s family and the Strike Committee (Dawei District) have appealed to the unidentified armed group not to harm her unless there is solid evidence of a crime.
Ko Min Lwin Oo, the public organizing officer of the Strike Committee (Dawei District), said that the revolutionary forces should solve the issue of the unknown death and disappearance of some locals during the revolution in order to uncover the truth.
“Such incidents should not happen in areas under the control of these revolutionary forces. When cases like this arise, the revolutionary forces need to address them. The National Unity Government (NUG) has a Ministry of Justice (MOJ), but the MOJ is not effectively positioned to handle these cases on the ground,” Ko Min Lwin Oo said.
Currently, the armed groups operating around Maungmakan village—the Dawei National Liberation Army (DNLA), BaHtoo Army, and the Launglon Township People’s Defense Force—have claimed that Daw Khin Hnaung was not detained by any of their groups.
Sources on the ground report that the military council is conducting more targeted arrests of civilians in the Tanintharyi Region, while revolutionary forces are also apprehending and killing locals under the suspicion of being military informants.
The Ramayana Institute’s monthly report indicates that in September, as many as 106 local civilians were arrested in the Tanintharyi Region for various reasons, with the majority detained for military service and for use as human shields.
Sent by IMNA