SALIN, Myanmar — Three civilians were arbitrarily detained by Myanmar military forces on Saturday morning while performing agricultural work in Salin Township, part of the conflict-torn Magway Region.
According to the local monitoring group Pyithu Nyidaw-Salin, a military column of approximately 30 soldiers entered Taung Kan village at around 7:00 AM. The troops reportedly seized three men, aged between 30 and 40, as they were loading cow manure—a routine task for local farmers.
The soldiers are believed to be from the 253rd, 254th, or 255th Light Infantry Battalions stationed nearby. “The troops entered the western part of the village and picked them up right from their work,” Ko Pyithu, a spokesperson for the monitoring group, told MPA. “There was no specific reason given. They didn’t even reach the village center before turning back and heading toward Say Thu Shin Kone village with the captives.”
The current whereabouts of the three men remain unknown, and their families have yet to receive any communication from the authorities.
The sudden arrival of the troops caused temporary panic in Taung Kan, located about four miles from Salin town. Most villagers fled into nearby fields as soon as the soldiers were sighted, returning only after the column had moved on.
“People here are used to running whenever they see a column,” Ko Pyithu added. “While there is no long-term displacement yet, the constant threat of being snatched for forced labor or interrogation is a daily reality.”
Beyond arbitrary arrests, residents in Salin Township have faced increasing military pressure over the past two weeks. Reports indicate that local battalions have been firing 60mm mortars and heavy howitzers toward rural villages since March 23.
The military has also reportedly stepped up its use of surveillance and attack drones launched from outposts in Salin and nearby Sinbyukyun. “They are launching drones from almost all of their permanent bases to scout and attack,” the spokesperson noted.
While the shelling and drone strikes have not yet forced a mass exodus of the population, the combination of random detentions and unpredictable artillery fire has left the farming communities of central Myanmar in a state of perpetual high alert. The junta’s reliance on these tactics appears aimed at suppressing local support for resistance forces in an area where the military’s ground control is increasingly contested.
