In Letpadan Township, Bago Region, the military council forces have blocked urban wards and village roads, resulting in the arrest of 55 young people who were forcibly taken as porters, according to local residents. The military council troops conducted the arrests during a three-day period from July 10 to July 12, blocking access to various neighborhoods and village roads in Letpadan Township. All detained youths were taken to the Letpadan Township General Administration Office, where ward and village administrators are now informing family members that each detainee can be released for a payment of 6 million kyats (approximately 60 lakhs).
In a related incident in Minhla Township, Bago Region, military council soldiers violently arrested U Ye Ko Ko, a resident of Kanyin Pin village, who was waiting for a train at the railway station at night. The soldiers intend to force him into military service. The incident occurred on July 6, when soldiers surrounded U Ye Ko Ko, beat him severely, and forcibly loaded him onto a vehicle. When family members investigated his whereabouts, they discovered that U Ye Ko Ko had been taken to Thayetkon town, where immigration officials from both Thayetkon and Minhla are collaborating to force him into military service.
The military council plans to open its 15th military service batch in July, leading to increased concerns among locals about more forced conscription, monetary extortion, and human rights violations. Local activists point out that these actions by the military council not only violate the fundamental human rights and freedoms of civilians but also contravene international law. The systematic nature of these arrests and the demanding of ransoms demonstrates the military council’s continuing pattern of human rights abuses against civilians, with local communities expressing growing fear about the escalating forced recruitment campaigns and the safety of young people in their areas.
