Local residents report that the military has forcibly arrested Kyaw Ye Aung, son of hundred-households administrator Htay Maung, and two of his friends for military service in Kaung Pin Si village, Nyaung-U Township, Mandalay Region. The incident occurred on the evening of August 2nd when the military was conducting raids throughout Nyaung-U Township to recruit young men for the 16th batch of military service.
While hundred-households administrator Htay Maung had previously managed to keep his son Kyaw Ye Aung and his friends off the military service lists, allowing them to avoid conscription from batch 1 through batch 15, they were ultimately arrested by the military while drinking at a roadside bar. Despite Htay Maung’s attempts to secure his son’s release, the military has completely refused to let him go. What makes this case particularly notable is that both Htay Maung and Taung Zin administrator Thein Po were previously involved in helping the military arrest other young men for forced portering and military service, but now their own sons have become victims of the same system.
A significant example of the previous actions of these administrators occurred last May when Htay Maung was responsible for sending Chit Paung, son of Ko Aung Naing Oo, to the military as a recruit. According to local residents, Chit Paung subsequently died due to torture while in military custody, though the military claimed his death was due to health issues. This incident highlights the cyclical nature of the military’s oppressive recruitment practices, now affecting even those who previously aided in such activities.
Currently, the military has intensified its operations throughout Nyaung-U Township, conducting military columns and forcibly recruiting young men as porters. As a result, local youth can no longer safely sleep in their homes at night and must flee to nearby forests and mountains for safety. This forced military recruitment and arrest campaign has severely disrupted the daily lives of local residents, creating an atmosphere of fear and instability in the region. The situation continues to deteriorate as the military increases its presence and aggressive recruitment tactics in the area.
