Hkawzar Township is 24 kilometers from Ye Township in the far south of Mon State. Its status was raised from village tract to township after Infantry Battalion 31 established a base there. Following that government offices were opened there.

“There [is a] an army camp and [a] police station, but abductions are frequent in this sub-township. No group can help provide protection; there is no security for the town at all,” said Mi Myint Than, in an interview with IMNA.

 An unknown armed group kidnapped four Hkawzar residents at about 8pm on 19th September and demanded a ransom of 75 million Kyats.

The victim’s families did not inform the police of the abductions.

One of the victim’s family members said: “The police have already invited us in for questioning three times to ask us about the situation. They told us not to spread [information] about the case and not to report [the abduction] to media groups.”

The armed group responsible for the kidnappings is believed to be active in southern Ye Township, and Yebyu Township in Tanintharyi Region.

According to a local official from the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the group demands annual extortion fees from these villages, and if they fail to pay, prominent residents of the villages are in danger of being kidnapped.

He said: In this area the NMSP cannot take charge because the government authorities are already here. It is not possible for us to initiate a search because the kidnap gang is armed. So, for the security of the area we do not have permission to handle this case directly.”

Previously Hkawzar Township and the surrounding areas were controlled by the NMSP but after they signed an agreement with the government in 1995 the area was handed over to government control. However, breakaway Mon armed groups are still active in the area.