Conscription-Related Abductions and Extortion Rampant in Mawlamyine, Myanmar
Forcible abductions and extortion linked to military conscription are surging in Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State, where junta accomplices are kidnapping civilians to sell them to the military or extract steep ransoms from their families.
Locals report that perpetrators target individuals traveling alone, commuting to work, or moving through isolated areas, especially after dark.
On October 22, three men, including a junta army sergeant, abducted a construction worker at the Hlaing Yadanar New City project, attempting to sell him to the military for forced conscription.
In a separate incident on October 26, abductors seized a young man in Thiri Myaing ward around 10:00 p.m. His family was forced to pay a ransom of 10.5 million Myanmar Kyat (approx. $5,000 USD) to secure his freedom.
According to residents, those carrying out the kidnappings include military personnel, police officers, militia members, public security units, and junta-appointed ward and village administrators.
Families must act quickly to negotiate payment upon learning of a relative's abduction.
Those unable to pay high ransom demands are often forced to watch their loved ones sent to military training facilities.
Local police routinely refuse to accept official criminal complaints from victims' families.
"They don't follow a specific pattern—they just target people at random, mostly after 8:00 p.m.," a Mawlamyine resident said.
"If a family cannot negotiate and pay in time, the victim ends up in military training."
Human rights advocates emphasize that these forcibly organized abductions constitute grave criminal offenses, including kidnapping and human trafficking.
However, complete impunity for perpetrators has left young people across Mawlamyine living in constant fear during their daily routines.
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