26 April 2026 By Min AB
YE, Myanmar — Four civil servants working for the military-led administration in Mon State have been detained by resistance forces and remain in custody after a week, families and local sources confirmed on Sunday.
The group includes three staff members from the Ye Township General Administration Department (GAD) and a high-ranking agricultural official from Kho Zar. The GAD staff were intercepted on 19 April while returning from an official meeting in the state capital, Mawlamyine, along the strategic No. 8 Union Highway.
Local resistance leaders confirmed that the arrests were carried out by forces under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG). “They are currently being held for questioning as part of our security protocols,” a member of a local People’s Defence Force (PDF) told MPA. “If no criminal activities are found during the investigation, they will be released.”
The Mawlamyine-Ye highway is a highly contested corridor where several groups, including the Mon resistance, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and the elite Ye Balu (Ye Ogre) battalion, operate frequently.
Despite assurances of a fair investigation, the families of those detained—including two women from the GAD and Mr Kyaw Thu, the agriculture head—expressed deep concern over their lack of contact. “They were just returning from their duties. We haven’t heard from them for a week and don’t know where they are being kept,” a relative said.
The military junta has reportedly intensified its operations along the highway in an attempt to recover the staff. Pro-military social media accounts have claimed that a rescue mission is imminent.
The detention of “non-CDM” staff—those who have continued to work under the military administration—has become a common tactic in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war. In August 2025, a similar incident occurred when a school headmistress and several teachers were detained by the Mon State Federal Council (MSFC) while travelling for election-related training.
The General Administration Department serves as the backbone of the junta’s administrative grip on the country, making its employees high-value targets for resistance forces seeking to dismantle the regime’s governing capacity. As of late Sunday, the NUG’s regional military command has not issued a formal statement regarding the specific charges or the current condition of the detainees.
