Military and Police Increasingly Abducting Youths Using Plainclothes, Private Cars in Yangon

In various townships across Yangon, military personnel and police officers are increasingly using plainclothes and private cars to openly abduct and arrest youths passing by, according to local residents and sources. Around 7 AM on September 4, two youths walking on Thakin Ba Hein Road near the Kapara bus stop in North Dagon Township were dragged into a Lite Truck and arrested by police and plainclothes individuals, according to the Rangoon Scout Network (RSN). Furthermore, around 7 PM on the same day, in Ward 69, Min Yekaupon Road, South Dagon Township, a group of individuals forcibly abducted two youths into a car. Despite local residents intervening and demanding their release, they were not freed, it was learned. Similarly, around 2 PM on September 3, plainclothes individuals arrived in private cars near the gas station in Industrial Zone 2, South Dagon Township, and arrested youths without cause, it is reported. Local residents state that the Township Police Station and its subordinate units use suspicious private cars during their nightly patrols to carry out abductions and arrests. In some wards, members of the Pyu Saw Htee (People's Militia Force) and their associates are also cooperating and assisting, according to local residents. Those arrested are reportedly detained in police stations and lock-ups before being further "sold off" to the General Administration Department, according to local residents. In Yangon Region, within this week, 26 individuals have been unjustly arrested from nine townships, including Shwepyitha, Insein, Hlegu, Mingaladon, Thaketa, South Dagon, Thanlyin, Dawbon, and San Chaung. Among those arrested, 24 were apprehended while walking by the roadside, and two were arrested after their homes were searched. Additionally, on August 22 and 23, nine youths were arrested, with eight apprehended while walking by the roadside and one lured away for work, according to surveys by the Rangoon Scout Network. Consequently, warnings are being issued to exercise extreme caution when stopping at bus stops, going out late at night, and traveling to deserted areas within townships such as North Dagon, South Dagon, Swanna, Thangangyun, and Thaketa. Youths are urged to avoid unnecessary outings and to be vigilant.