A fatal incident occurred in Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region, where a dispute over money sharing among five individuals involved in forcibly recruiting young people for the terrorist military led to one death. On September 13, at the riverfront port in Pathein, a group of five people, including a motorcycle taxi driver known as Katun, captured a young Karen man who had arrived in the city and sold him to the terrorist military forces.
After selling the young man, the group gathered in front of a preschool on Ngawun Kyun Thar 8th Street in Ward 1 of Pathein to divide the proceeds. During the distribution of money, an argument broke out among the group members. The dispute escalated violently, resulting in four members of the group stabbing Katun with knives, killing him on the spot. One of the perpetrators involved in the murder, known as Watut, is a resident of Ngawun Kyun Thar 8th Street in Pathein, and his uncle is reportedly serving as a soldier in the terrorist military.
The deceased, Katun, was a motorcycle taxi driver who lived on No. 1 Strand Road in Pathein and was known as a notorious troublemaker in the area. He had previously served multiple prison sentences for fraud and robbery, and was known to regularly engage in forcibly recruiting young people along the riverfront with his group, selling them to the terrorist military. Currently, the four individuals involved in the murder remain at large, with authorities unable to apprehend them. The incident highlights the disturbing practice of human trafficking connected to forced military recruitment in the region.
