Since mid-December 2024, junta soldiers, police and traffic police have been targeting unregistered vehicles in Mon State, demanding money from their owners and even arresting some of them.

According to locals the junta forces are seizing both unregistered cars and motorcycles and will not release them back to their owners unless they pay millions of kyats (MMK). In some cases they are also arresting the owners of the unregistered vehicles.

A resident of Ye Township in Mon State, speaking anonymously, claimed that junta troops extorted between 500,000 MMK and 3 million MMK for each seized motorcycle, depending on the model and type.

He said: “They are running a campaign to hunt down unregistered motorcycles. Depending on the type and model of the motorcycles, the junta troops extort between 500,000 MMK and 3 million MMK before releasing them. The better the motorcycle, the higher the demand. In some cases, they’ve seized both the motorcycle and the owner. Additionally, they are looking for new recruits for conscription, aren't they?”

He added that despite the crackdown the junta forces turn a blind eye to unregistered vehicles being used by their friends and associates.

A source from Thaton Town in Mon State, who wished to remain anonymous, said that surprise checks for unregistered vehicles are being carried out at the entrance and exit checkpoints of towns in Mon State.

He said to Than Lwin Times: “They aggressively target unregistered cars, motorcycles, and sidecars. Sometimes, sidecars are seized on the grounds that they are being driven on highways without a permit. Junta troops frequently conduct random checks and make arrests.”

Ironically, most of the unregistered vehicles in Mon State have been smuggled in from Thailand through junta-controlled checkpoints. According to a junta official, who wished to remain anonymous, several high-ranking junta soldiers and police officers have been involved in the smuggling of unregistered vehicles across the border from Thailand.