It has been revealed that a team led by Colonel Linn Naing Soe, Deputy Commander of the Central Command Headquarters in Mandalay, has been engaging in the trading of substitute military recruits and extorting money from wealthy individuals through fabricated charges of terrorism and political activities. This information comes from victims who have been arrested and extorted for money, including those forced into military service. Following Colonel Linn Naing Soe’s transfer from Kalaw Military Academy to his current position as Deputy Commander of the Central Command Headquarters in Mandalay in August 2024, the practice of trading substitute military recruits has become increasingly widespread.
Deputy Commander Colonel Linn Naing Soe ordered military security teams to compile lists of sons from wealthy families and business owners in Mandalay who are eligible for military service, targeting those aged between 18 and 35 years. The operation involves demanding money from wealthy families to keep their sons off military service lists and forcing them to purchase substitute recruits. These extortion activities are led by Colonel Linn Naing Soe and carried out by his subordinate military officers. The Central Command’s military security unit G1 Aka Maung and police officers use military service laws as a pretext to extort money, arbitrarily arrest wealthy individuals and business owners, and demand hundreds of millions of kyats from each business owner. Those who pay are released but threatened against reporting the incidents, with additional threats of being labeled as PDF associates and facing elimination.
Furthermore, Colonel Linn Naing Soe and his team have been extorting money and valuables from families of those detained under political and terrorism charges. They also demand various other privileges from these families. Sources indicate that despite lacking the authority to release political prisoners, the Deputy Commander continues to accept bribes and extort money from victims’ families who desperately seek help for their detained relatives. A relative of a recently detained youth accused of PDF connections stated that families are forced to pay and curry favor with the Deputy Commander in hopes of obtaining leniency for their loved ones. Colonel Linn Naing Soe, a graduate of the 40th intake of the Defense Services Academy, currently leads interrogations at the palace compound and oversees military security operations for the Central Command Headquarters.
