The Myanmar military has strategically placed landmines around the perimeter of a battalion base in a Tanintharyi village preventing rubber tappers from working.

The Myanmar military has allegedly placed landmines in the vicinity of their Light Infantry Battalion (561) base in Nyaung Pin Kwin Village, Tanintharyi region, designating it as a restricted area for security reasons.

On 7 and 8 November, the Military Council reportedly convened local residents, instructing them that landmines had been planted approximately 300 metres (about 1,000 feet) around the perimeter of the Light Infantry Battalion (561) fence. As a result, the residents were told to cease their local rubber farm operations in the area.

Local people claim the army had clandestinely planted landmines since 4 November around the battalion base without informing the villagers. A secret notification letter from the army, revealing the presence of the landmines, surfaced on 7 November. Then, some local residents were summoned to be informed about the landmines.

"Our lives depend on the rubber farm business, and now we're warned not to work. Consequently, owners like me are facing difficulties, and the workers who rely on this business are also unemployed," said a local rubber farm owner.

It is currently the open season for tapping rubber latex. Workers have stated that the Military council's actions are causing harm to the local residents during this crucial period.

"Nobody dares to go around the battalion areas anymore. If something happens, you can't report it during the rule of the Military Council," said a woman employed as a rubber tapper.

In October, there was an incident reported in which a local woman was injured due to stepping on a landmine near the Light Infantry Battalion (561), according to a local source.

Landmines and unexploded ordnance have been a longstanding issue in Myanmar, intensifying significantly since the 2021 military takeover.

In Myanmar, from 2021 to 2022, 157 civilians were killed and 395 injured by landmines and explosive remnants of battles, with about one-third being children. The military strategically placed landmines in various locations, causing devastating impact on civilian lives and raising concerns about the indiscriminate use of such weapons, according to Human Rights Watch.