Several young individuals from the Kyauktalone camp for Muslim internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kyaukphyu Township have sought refuge with the Arakan Army (AA) due to the Junta's enforcement of compulsory military service, according to a source.
Among those who sought refuge in AA, there was one young woman and a total of over 10 young people.
“The reason they fled the camp is because the Military Council pressured 150 people from the camp to join military service. Now, some of the youths have sought refuge with AA”, the source said.
The family members of the young people who fled the camp were no longer allowed to stay there and were ejected by the camp officials, according to a source who requested anonymity for security reasons.
"People tremble at the thought of military service, forced into hiding with no escape in sight. Both young and old, consumed by despair, forsake food and drink. Some 15 or 16 youths have fled, leaving the rest of their families, including infants, forcibly displaced. We are at a loss, grappling with uncertainty about our next steps”, he told Narinjara.
On February 17th, members of the Kyauktalone camp management committee gathered a list of male IDPs aged 18 to 55 within the camp and informed them of their mandatory enlistment into military service, as reported by some IDPs.
The conscription law stipulates that it applies only to individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 years. However, individuals aged 18 to 55 years are being listed in the IDP camp, contrary to this provision.
Furthermore, IDPs reported that the Junta exerted pressure on them to send 150 individuals to enlist in military service within a week. However, the deadline was extended by 3 days due to the Muslim prayer days (Shab-e-Barat).
IDPs also raised serious concerns, disclosing that Junta officers have offered them citizenship upon completing military service, while simultaneously threatening to arrest them all should they refuse to enlist.
"I am not very sure if he is a tactical operation commander or a captain. He conveyed to us the obligation of serving the country as an ethnic group. So, we counter questioned him why citizenship was not granted from the start. His response was that they (the Military Regime) would provide us with military training because they trusted us, not like the Rakhine people. He assured us of citizenship upon completion of training. Yet, we are well aware of the reality; they have deceived us, not just once, but repeatedly”, another IDP remarked.
In attempts to address the situation, Narinjara sought to contact Kyauktalone IDP camp administrator U Maw Ni, also known as Maung Ni, via phone. However, all efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.
The Kyauktalone IDP camp accommodates over 300 households and more than 1000 residents. These IDPs were forced to leave their homes in urban neighborhoods such as Ahyarshi (Officers) ward, Paikseik ward, Tanbanchaung ward, and Toechae ward in Kyaukphyu Township due to the conflicts that erupted in 2012.
