Following fighting in Pala Town, Palaw Township, Tanintharyi Region on 4 September 2024, the junta arrested 40 people and 20 young men and women are still in detention.

Nai Aue Mon, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), a civil society organisation monitoring junta actions in southeast Myanmar, is concerned for their safety.

He said: "We are extremely worried about them, especially the possibility that they could be killed, and their bodies dumped somewhere unknown, or that they might disappear without a trace. In previous cases, some individuals arrested by the junta went missing for four or five months and were never heard from again. Another concern is that detainees could be sent to the frontlines and used as human shields. All of these scenarios are deeply alarming to us.”

Fighting between the junta and resistance forces erupted in Pala Town on 4 September. After the fighting subsided, junta troops arbitrarily arrested civilians they spotted in the town.

HURFOM reported that the junta initially arrested about 60 people, including women and elderly people. Though more than 40 were later released, over 20 young men and women, of conscription age, are still being detained, according to Nai Aue Mon.

He said to Network Media Group (NMG): "More than 20 people have not been released yet, and there's growing concern about their situation. There is speculation that the junta troops may have arrested them to use as human shields. Some believe the detainees are still in the junta’s custody, while others fear they could disappear without a trace.”

In a similar incident recorded by HURFOM, the junta arrested four people near Buthi Village in Launglon Township, Dawei District, also in Tanintharyi Region, on 30 August and subsequently killed three of those arrested.

HURFOM reported that amongst the arrested, 52-year-old U Kyaw Than was killed by junta troops on 31 August, 53-year-old U Pho Aye was shot on 1 September, and 50-year-old U Ba Shwe was shot on 2 September.