Reports from Kale (Kalay) Town in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, indicate a sharp escalation in the abduction of young men for conscription, with junta-aligned security forces intensifying their conscription drives across the town.
Local said that police, regime-affiliated personnel, and junta-aligned Pyusawhti militia members have been deployed in large numbers to hunt down young men of military age and forcibly conscript them. According to locals, abductions are carried out openly, with young men being seized wherever they are found.
“Conscription-related abductions have become more emboldened lately. In the past, these abductions were mainly carried out by police personnel. They usually traveled in Toyota Probox vehicles with about four officers and used force to arrest young men. If the abducted person had a motorcycle, one officer would ride it away. Recently, Pyusawhti members in blue uniforms and police have been using much larger numbers to chase down young men. The situation has worsened. They no longer bother checking motorcycle licenses or phones and are now fully focused on arresting people. When they stop a motorcycle, they surround the rider and switch off the engine. If the person is of conscription age, he is abducted immediately. These arrests are happening almost daily in Kale,” a town resident said.
Previously, those taken for conscription were often briefly detained at government offices in town, giving families limited opportunities to negotiate their release. Locals said this is no longer the case.
“In the past, people abducted for conscription were detained at offices for two or three days. Families could investigate and had a chance to negotiate for their release. The amount demanded varied, usually five, six, or seven million kyats. Recently, however, abducted individuals are no longer kept at offices but are sent directly to a training depot near Sakhangyi Village, north of the town. Once they are taken there, it becomes almost impossible to negotiate for their release,” a local reported.
The source added that some ward administrators continue to intervene selectively. “If someone with ties to them is arrested, ward administrators often demand between four and seven million kyats from the family and step in to negotiate the person’s release. What they are doing is no different from officially acting as human trafficking brokers,” he told Chin World.
Such incidents are not new. On April 15 last year, six young men were abducted simultaneously from Aung Thitsar Ward in Kale Town. Locals said the junta is no longer targeting only crowded areas but is also carrying out abductions in back alleys and residential streets. As a result, many young people have fled the town, leading to severe labor shortages for local businesses.
