According to locals, nighttime abductions of young men for conscription have recently surged in Myawaddy Town and Hpa-An, the Karen State capital.
In Myawaddy, a town on the border with Thailand, the number of abductions targeting young people out at night has increased in recent days. Such incidents are becoming increasingly common in the town, a town resident told KIC.
“There have been cases where young people were abducted while walking on the streets in their own ward. It also depends on the administrator of each ward. Our ward administrator told us that those who stay in their homes will not be arrested, but there is no guarantee for those who go out at night,” he said.
Similarly, in Hpa-An City, there have been cases of young people being abducted and taken to the junta’s military training depots, according to a woman from Ward 9 in the city.
“My friend’s son and one of his friends were abducted when they were returning home from a casino late at night. At first, we didn’t know who had taken them. About a month later, we heard from him that he had been sent to a junta training depot. Fearing for his safety, his parents didn’t dare to complain openly or speak out,” she said.
In addition, recruitment drives are targeting areas frequented by young people in Hpa-An and Myawaddy, luring them to join the junta or its ally, the Border Guard Force (BGF), a young Hpa-An resident reported.
“We were at a crowded place last week when a man came up to us and said he could connect us with the junta or the BGF if we wanted to join the military service. He said it in a joking way, yet it came across as serious too,” he told KIC.
General Maung Maung Aye, head of the Central Body for Summoning People's Military Servants, said at a meeting on February 26 that some officials are abusing the conscription law through dishonest practices and colluding with third parties, instead of drafting recruits in accordance with the law, according to the junta’s Ministry of Information.
Since the junta’s conscription law took effect, 19 groups have completed military training.
There have been cases where individuals involuntarily conscripted by the junta defected to the resistance once they had the opportunity after being deployed to the frontlines.
