A Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) forced women and children to carry their food and military equipment and used the civilians as human shields in Burma's Mon State, according to a local source.

"A BGF soldier walked between two women... Even if the Karen National Union (KNU) wants to attack them, they can't because the BGF used the civilians as human shields," he said.

The BGF soldiers abducted the villagers from Beelin Township in Thaton District.

According to the KNU Information Department, BGF Battalion 1013 (lead Company 2) arrested 300 villagers, including many women and 12 minors, on 20 September on the orders of Lt Ka Ton. The soldiers arrested 100 from Kyo Wine, 67 from Kya Thaung Seik, 35 people from Kong Ywa and 30 from Pyin Mapin.

According to a KNU official in Thaton District, all the men fled before the soldiers arrived in their villages, so they took some of those who were left.

On 14 September, the same BGF company seized five trucks and abducted six village leaders in Myitkyo, Beelin Township. The drivers of the trucks were forced to transport food rations to Kya Thaung Seik while the soldiers used the village leaders as human shields during the journey.

Villagers have been suffering from human rights violations committed by the BGF and Burma Army for many years.