Two village administrators from Natkan and Yatthitlay villages in Magway Township, Magway Region, have fled their homes after inadvertently recruiting a high-ranking military officer’s teenage son for military service. According to local residents, the incident occurred in late March when Win Zaw, administrator of Natkan village tract, and Han Maung, administrator of Yatthitlay village, were conducting forced recruitment for the 12th batch of military service. The administrators had been apprehending young people and sending them to Infantry Battalion 301, unaware that one of their recruits was the son of a senior military council officer.
Upon discovering the identity of the military officer’s son among the recruits, both administrators abandoned their homes and went into hiding, fearing repercussions from military authorities. Local sources confirmed that these administrators had been actively involved in recruiting and forcibly conscripting young people for military service for an extended period. The situation has also spread to other areas in Magway Township, particularly in the Lunmyatkan village tract. Win Myint, who serves as both the Lunmyatkan village administrator and leader of the Pyu Saw Htee group, has established an armed unit to carry out forced recruitment of young people for military service.
According to local sources, Win Myint has set up a checkpoint at the entrance of his village with at least thirty personnel and approximately ten firearms. Wearing camouflage uniforms, he and his group collect illegal taxes and conduct forced recruitment operations. The widespread practice of forced conscription has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among local residents, with many young people fleeing their homes to avoid being drafted into military service. The situation highlights the ongoing pressure faced by civilians in Myanmar under military rule, where local administrators often serve as instruments of the military council’s coercive policies.
