Mon State Residents Demand Repeal of Junta Security Orders Citing Extortion and Forced Conscription

Residents across southern Myanmar’s Mon State are calling on local junta authorities to immediately revoke emergency security orders, reporting that soldiers and police systematically use the regulations to extort money from civilians and forcibly conscript youth. Despite the military regime's attempts to present a civilian governance structure following its recent elections, authorities continue to enforce strict martial controls imposed during military rule. These include township-wide Section 144 emergency declarations, a 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. curfew, and a restriction banning two men from riding on the same motorcycle. Locals report that rather than providing security, the measures have devastated low-income livelihoods and created an atmosphere of fear. "What we really want is for the curfew to be lifted," said a resident of Ye Township. "If that happens, small businesses like tea shops and roadside snack stalls can stay open, making life a lot easier for people with low incomes." Human rights monitors and residents report that security forces routinely conduct arbitrary night raids and street stops, targeting vendors, night-shift workers, and pedestrians. Those detained are often forced to pay excessive ransoms to secure their release. In more severe cases, soldiers have used curfew violations as a pretext to detain young men and force them into military service under the regime's conscription laws. A resident from Thaton Township urged local representatives to address the issue, noting that civilians are already afraid to venture outside after 10:00 p.m. "The soldiers and police are arresting people all the time—anyone who's out at night or in the early morning hours around 2:00 or 3:00 a.m.," he said, noting that even impoverished street vendors preparing for early morning markets have been swept up in the arrests. Civilians across Mon State maintain that revoking these local orders is essential to restoring basic freedom of movement and allowing families to earn a living without constant fear of extortion or arrest.