15 Mine Workers Abducted by Myanmar Military Near Padang

Narinjara 18 July 2026

The Myanmar military has abducted 15 Rakhine and Chin workers from the Sein Chi Lin coal mine near Padan town in Magway region's Minbu district.

Soldiers arrested 15 young laborers around 11:00 AM on July 18 at the Nga Pyaw Daw Road junction, just one furlong from Padan town, while they were traveling to buy groceries.

Most of the abducted individuals are young internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled the ongoing conflict in Rakhine State to work at the mine.

Local sources report that arrested individuals in Padan are rarely released, with many being forced into military service or used as porters.

The 15 workers were transported to the Padan Sone Kone Artillery Battalion (905).

Junta forces frequently target Rakhine refugees under the pretext of the military service law, demanding hundreds of thousands of kyats in bribes for their release.

Failure to pay the requested bribes results in immediate military conscription.

The victims are employed by the Sein Chi Lin Coal Company, located approximately three miles from Padan town.The facility operates as a primary coal extraction site licensed under Sein Chi Lin Mining Co., Ltd.