In Pwintbyu Township, Magway Region, junta-aligned Pyusawhti militia members have been carrying out targeted abductions of young men nominated for conscription, locals reported.

The hunt-down of young men nominated for conscription by joint Pyusawhti militia members and police personnel began on May 15, after village administrators in Pwintbyu Township received instructions to submit one conscript per village each month.

“Despite paying regular fees to avoid conscription, these abductions are still happening. It feels like we’re just wasting money, because there’s no way to escape what’s coming. It doesn’t make sense,” said a resident of Pyilonekyaw Village in Pwintbyu Township.

On May 17, Pyusawhti members abducted two Zambuaye villagers in downtown Pwintbyu, witnesses said. 

Also, in villages and outlying wards around the town, junta and Pyusawhti members targeted and detained young people, some were released after negotiations involving money.

After the junta enforced the conscription law, more than 300 young men were abducted in Pwintbyu Township. Most of them were drafted despite paying regular fees to avoid conscription.