A concerning incident has occurred in Minhlah Township, Bago Region, where two local civilians, Ko Aung Cho Thu and Ko Chan Myae, were forcibly detained by the military council for military service. The incident took place on May 15 at 10 AM at a checkpoint set up by military and police forces near the Maha Zeyun Monastery pavilion on the road connecting Minhlah town to Ohntekun.
The two detained individuals are from different villages – Ko Aung Cho Thu from Ohnnwechaung village in Hlegu group and Ko Chan Myae from Kularsu village. Upon learning of their detention, family members immediately attempted to secure their release, informing the military that they had been paying substantial monthly military service fees amounting to hundreds of millions of kyats. However, the military refused to release them, stating that the arrests were made under superior orders due to manpower requirements, regardless of any service fees being paid.
The situation reveals a broader pattern of military exploitation in Minhlah Township, where villages are required to pay between 5 million to 10 million kyats monthly to avoid forced porter service and military recruitment. Individual households in these villages are compelled to contribute at least 30,000 kyats monthly. These collected funds are then transferred to the local military battalions in Minhlah Township. This systematic extraction of funds, coupled with continued forced recruitment despite payments, highlights the military council’s oppressive practices against civilians in the region.
