Military forces and Pyu Saw Htee members forcibly entered homes in Magyi Pin village, Takkon township in Naypyidaw to arrest seven young men for military service. According to family members of those arrested, the incident occurred on April 3rd when a group led by Pyu Saw Htee members Aung Soe, Kyauk Gyi (aka Aung Myint), and Tha Din, along with military forces, conducted forced recruitment operations. Among those arrested were Ko Pyae Sone Oo, Ko Wanna Kyaw, and Ko Thein Htike Oo, whose current whereabouts remain unknown as families have lost all contact with them since their arrest.
The arrested youth come from economically disadvantaged families in the working class, and local sources indicate that the Pyu Saw Htee specifically target such impoverished families for forced recruitment. According to a local resident, they deliberately avoid recruiting from wealthy families with strong social connections. The administrative authorities do not directly handle military recruitment matters; instead, ten-household leaders and Pyu Saw Htee groups conduct these forced recruitments for financial gain. These targeted arrests of vulnerable youth highlight the military council’s oppressive practices against civilians, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The military council is reportedly conducting similar forced recruitment operations nationwide in preparation for their 12th military training batch scheduled to begin in April. This practice of forced military recruitment violates international law and constitutes a human rights violation. The military council continues to perpetrate violence against civilians while attempting to suppress the democratic movement. The targeting of economically vulnerable youth for forced military service demonstrates the military council’s ongoing oppression of civilians, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds who lack the resources or connections to resist such forced recruitment efforts.
