By Ko Myo / MPA
Residents in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, are struggling under the weight of new fuel restrictions while facing a continuous surge in forced military recruitment and arbitrary arrests.
Despite the public’s focus being diverted by a new “odd-even” plate number system for fuel rationing, local monitoring groups report that the military junta has not scaled back its campaign of “portering”—the forced seizure of civilians for military service or labour.
According to the Rangoon Scout Network (RSN), a local underground monitoring group, at least 25 individuals were detained in the past week alone. “The arrests haven’t slowed down,” an RSN official told Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA). “Most of the incidents this week occurred during the evening, specifically between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM.”
The arrests follow a March 3 announcement by the military council mandating that private vehicles only operate on alternating days based on their licence plate numbers to conserve fuel. The policy, which came into effect on March 7, has led to chaotic scenes at petrol stations and increased military checkpoints across the city.
However, while drivers navigate the new restrictions, others are being snatched from the streets. Between March 2 and March 8, 20 people were reportedly detained while commuting, and another five were taken during late-night “guest list” inspections in townships including Mayangone, Thaketa, Ahlone, Tamwe, Hlaing, and Thingangyun.
Local reports suggest that these arrests are often followed by extortion. On March 5, six people were detained near Yuzana Plaza in Tamwe Township and taken to the local police station, where families were reportedly asked to pay for their release. Just days later, five more youths were seized at a nearby railway station.
“Even if a third world war were to break out, Min Aung Hlaing would still be focused on forced recruitment to maintain his grip on power,” a source within the Yangon police force commented, referring to the junta leader.
The combination of economic mismanagement and the constant threat of detention has left Yangon’s population in a state of perpetual anxiety. While the military frames its fuel policy as a necessity for “frugality,” critics see it as another layer of control in a city already under siege by its own security forces.
