THATON, Myanmar — Police forces in Mon State have reportedly abducted seven young men, including a 14-year-old boy, demanding exorbitant ransoms before forcibly sending them to military training camps.
The incident occurred on May 3, 2026, in the Kyaikkaw and Theimseik areas of Thaton Township. According to military sources in the district, eight youths were initially detained while traveling from nearby villages. One was released shortly after paying a 5-million-kyat ($1,500 USD approx. at market rates) bribe on the spot.
The remaining seven captives, including a 14-year-old from Wi Yaw village, were taken to Theimseik Police Station. Sources say the authorities demanded a staggering 40 million kyat (approx. $12,000 USD) per person for their release.
“They couldn’t afford to pay such a massive amount, so they have now been sent to a military training center,” a source told MPA. Some of the victims were reportedly in town simply to buy groceries, while the 14-year-old and another youth were traveling to deliver wedding invitations.
The surge in these “portering” (forced recruitment) incidents in Thaton appears to be linked to direct pressure from high-ranking officials within the sham government.
Aung Win Than, the current illegal Chief Minister of Mon State, reportedly reprimanded local administration officials in late March after seeing large numbers of young men at a traditional novice initiation ceremony. He reportedly questioned why there was a shortage of new recruits when so many youths were clearly available in the area.
Following his remarks, local residents say the security forces have become emboldened, shifting from nighttime raids to daylight abductions in public spaces.
“In the past, they would target people returning from late-night festivals,” a 40-year-old resident of Theimseik said. “Now, people are too afraid to even go to local fairs. They are snatching people in broad daylight in the middle of Kyaikkaw.”
This is not an isolated event. Since the national conscription law was activated by the sham government in February, Yangon, Mon State, and other regions have seen a wave of arbitrary arrests. In late March, ten young men were taken from a gambling fair in Thaton, while in April, an administrator had to pay 8 million kyat to secure the release of a youth from Paw Taw Mu village.
The use of administrative laws to facilitate what human rights groups describe as “state-sponsored kidnapping” highlights the desperate need for manpower within the Myanmar military as it faces significant losses across multiple fronts.
