Within a week, at least 10 young men in Theinzayat Town, Kyaikto Township, Mon State, were abducted as part of the junta’s conscription drive.

Between January 7 and 14, the junta forcibly took young men of conscription age from the town and nearby communities.

Two of the abducted were identified as Maung Shine Htet Ko Ko, a resident of Ward 1 in the town, and Maung Si Thu Tun, a resident of Wardatkwin Village on the outskirts of the town.

According to locals, junta troops have been targeting young men living in downtown wards of Theinzayat, as well as those traveling along road sections connecting Wardatkwin and Thonegwa villages.

The abducted youths were briefly detained at the Theinzayat regional police station before being transferred to a military recruitment camp in Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State.

In Mon State townships of Kyaikto and Bilin, the junta has intensified its abductions of young men for conscription. As a result, young men rarely dare to leave their homes and are hiding as discreetly as possible, locals reported.

According to data collected by Than Lwin Times, the junta has recruited nearly 4,000 young men in Mon State through various means across the previous 21 conscription batches.