Eleven young men traveling to Yangon were abducted for conscription by the junta at the Kanpyar checkpoint on the outskirts of Magway City.

The young men, residents of Pwintbyu Township in Magway Region, had traveled to Myanmar’s economic hub, Yangon, for work but were instead detained by the junta, according to their families.

The youths, traveling on a highway express bus, were abducted by junta troops on February 13. The soldiers then contacted their families, demanding a ransom of 15 million MMK per person for their release.

Some families of the abducted youths have accused the Nan Htike Taw Win express highway busline, which the youths were traveling on, of colluding with the junta.

“The operators of Nan Htike Taw Win and the junta are working together to make money. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Everyone around here knows it. In this case, the bus company promised the youths would be completely safe and even asked for more money. But in the end, they were all taken away,” said the sister of an abducted young man.

The bus company had asked the young people traveling to Yangon for various documents in advance and assured their families that their safety was guaranteed, but they were all arrested.

The whereabouts of the 11 arrested youths remain unknown. Junta troops have contacted their families via the Magway Township General Administration Office, demanding ransom money for their release.

The ransom demanded for the youths is so high that their families are struggling to pay it. They said they are speaking out to warn others, fearing that more young people could face the same fate.

Locals have accused the Nan Htike Taw Win, Shwe Pwint Phyu, and Moe Thauk Yaung Ni express buses running between Pwintbyu and Yangon of colluding with junta checkpoints to facilitate the abduction of young people, though Than Lwin Times cannot independently verify these claims.