The junta has started arresting people in Mon State who led anti-coup protests in the state in the days following the 1 February 2021 military coup.

The junta has instructed its police officers to arrest and investigate former protest leaders who still live in Mon State to find out if they are providing information and funding to resistance forces, Than Lwin Times has learned.

Recently, there have been arrests of people who led anti-coup protests shortly after the coup, political activists and people who were previously imprisoned for protesting.

Former politician U Aung Khaing, a member of the 88 Generation Students Group and leader of anti-coup protests and the political activist Dr. Aung Phyo, both of whom are from Mawlamyine City in Mon State, were arrested by the junta on 12 November 2024.

There have also been many other arrests that the public is unaware of.

A Mon State resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if the former protest leaders targeted for arrest could afford it they were being released after negotiating the payment of a bribe. But, those who could not afford to pay bribes were being prosecuted on political charges.

He said: “There were instances where detainees were released after authorities took large sums of money from them, showing how the junta’s orders were exploited by its lower ranked officials for personal gain. Among the detainees, those who couldn't afford the money were prosecuted, allowing the authorities to appear as though they were enforcing the junta's orders. Those who could afford to pay were released through negotiations. In fact, if anyone had to be arrested for protesting, almost everyone would have been detained. After all, didn’t everyone protest back then?”

He also said that the arrests of people who led protests in the aftermath of the coup have caused concern amongst the public and have also created a significant opportunity for lower ranking junta officials.

Ko Aye Min Tun, an officer with Thaton District People's Defence Force (PDF) urged the public to be cautious in the face of this new round of arrests.

He said: “As far as I understand, the junta has ordered backdated arrests of those who participated in the anti-coup protests. The despicable individuals carrying out these arrests are, as we all know,  junta lackeys who will carry out whatever the junta orders. It is crucial that our people behave wisely and avoid arrest.

Following the coup, Mon State, like other parts of Myanmar, saw hundreds of thousands of people, including government staff, join anti-coup protests. Many continue to participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) by refusing to work for the government until the junta is deposed.

Following the coup, the junta brutally cracked down on peaceful protesters with fatal shootings, physical assaults, arbitrary arrests and  imprisonment under various charges.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), 27,699 people had been arrested by the junta since the coup and of those 21,142 were still being detained, as of 21 November 2024,