Soldiers at Yangon's Thamee Street intersection extort money, assault, and sexually harass pedestrians

Yangon, July 9 Soldiers from security bunkers stationed at the Thamee Street intersection in Mayangon Township, Yangon Region, are stopping and inspecting the mobile phones of pedestrians, extorting money, assaulting those who do not pay, and committing sexual harassment against women, according to people who have directly experienced these incidents. On the afternoon of July 8, some members of the public passing near the Thamee Street intersection were stopped and inspected by soldiers inside the bunkers. It was learned that even though nothing requiring inspection was found on their phones, they were extorted to pay 50,000 kyats. When the affected individuals asked if the soldiers had the right to demand such payment, another soldier came out from inside the bunker and physically assaulted the individual, it was learned. Furthermore, it was learned that these soldiers stopped and inspected the phones of couples passing by, and in addition to demanding money, they also sexually harassed the young women accompanying them. It is understood that the young women who experienced such harassment were terrified and could not say anything in return, remaining silent. One person who directly experienced the incident said, "The soldiers are very brazen. The soldiers in the bunker at Thamee Street intersection stopped pedestrians nearby around noon yesterday and demanded to inspect their phones. If nothing was found on their phones, they demanded 50,000 kyats. When the person who was asked for money asked if they had the right to demand such a thing, they also resorted to beating him. They also stopped couples, demanded money, and sexually harassed the girlfriends who were with them. The girls were also too scared to say anything and just endured it," he said. After the military coup in 2021, the terrorist military built security bunkers at intersections in Yangon city and stationed soldiers there for security.