Five members of the Lamaing Charity Youth Organization based in Lamaing Township, Mon State, were arrested by soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 588 on May 29. The aid group stated that it was transporting a soldier who had been involved in a car accident to Mawlamyine Hospital. The People Defence Force (PDF) stopped the car and took the soldier into their custody, according to residents.

“An officer from LIB 588 got run down by a car, so the aid group arrived to transport him to Mawlamyine. When they reached the Nhit Karen intersection members of the PDF stopped them and arrested [him],” said a Lamaing resident.

The aid group announced on social media that its services will be stopped temporarily until further notice. Its members are still being detained at LIB 588. Aid groups have faced arrest, violence, and some of their members have been killed since 2021. A member of the Lamaing Charity Youth Organization was shot and killed in 2022 while returning home.