The junta-appointed Mon State Chief Minister said that he will take decisive action against any vessels engaged in illegal fishing or metal and timber smuggling in the waters off Mon State.
The chief minister, U Aung Kyi Thein, made the announcement to departmental heads during a meeting of the Mon State Offshore Resources Management Committee, held on 28 May 2025 in the Mon State capital, Mawlamyine City.
He emphasised that it was important for different departments to coordinate to identify and take action against vessels operating illegally in Mon State’s coastal waters.
But, many of the vessels engaged in illegal activities off Mon State are owned by people with close ties to the Mon State Chief Minister, U Aung Kyi Thein, according to a Mon State fisherman,
He said: "The truth is, almost all the vessels doing illegal fishing and timber smuggling are linked to him. Some operate by bribing him, and others get by through deals with departments under his control.”
Fishing trawlers, including ones operating illegally, are only allowed to leave Mon State ports with junta authorisation, which is typically secured through payments to the authorities, with widespread corruption also reported among lower-ranking officials.
Another source from the fishing industry said that despite the chief minister’s public commitment to combat illegal fishing, junta troops and junta-appointed administrators are colluding and accepting bribes to allow vessels to fish illegally. This has contributed significantly to raised levels of illegal fishing.
He said: “In fact, they’re [junta officials] the ones taking money from these illegal vessels and deciding where they can operate. The fishing grounds on the western side of the Sittaung River are nearly depleted. Ward administrators often use the money to support the junta. Due to the lack of effective enforcement, the number of boats illegally fishing at sea has also increased.”
He added that the owners of boats who pay junta officials bribes to operate are allowed to operate all year round and can take as much fish as they want with no restrictions.
Previously, fishing off the Mon State coast was banned for three month every year, from April to June to allow fish to breed and spawn. But, the junta has reduced the length of the ban to two months, May and June. Additionally, any trawler that has paid bribes to the junta is also allowed to fish all-year round, including the months of May and June.
This extra fishing has raised concerns that fish stocks may become depleted in future years.
Because the junta has neglected to look after fish stocks, seasonal fish catches have become unpredictable. Also fishermen in the area are now catching far fewer of the larger fish that they can export and some species have completely vanished from the waters off Mon State.
