Local residents in Mandalay have reported that the terrorist military forces and Pyu Saw Htee groups have intensified their forced porter recruitment operations throughout the city, using unlicensed vehicles. The operations involve various Toyota models including Mark II, Crown, Mark II Golden Fish, Alphard, and Kluger sedans, which are being used with tinted windows and various license plates for porter recruitment. The vehicles used by the military and Pyu Saw Htee groups have been identified as having mismatched car models and registration numbers, with license plates only showing MDY and numbers, lacking the official vehicle type information typically found on legitimate registration plates.
According to local residents, these forced recruitment operations have become more frequent, occurring both day and night throughout the city’s streets and alleyways. The perpetrators, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying weapons, primarily target young people. Those who are captured are reportedly being sold to areas with high military service demands, used in prisoner exchanges, held for ransom, or exploited for monetary gain, according to those who have been released and sources close to military recruitment matters.
In Pyigyidagun Township, Mandalay, the military council has mandated medical examinations for all residents aged 18 and above for military service. The authorities have issued threatening notices stating that those who fail to respond to summons will be arrested on sight. The township administration has declared that individuals who do not comply with these summons will be labeled as military deserters and subject to violent arrest anywhere they are found, as reported by local residents. The current situation differs from previous recruitment efforts, with authorities now explicitly threatening legal action against those who fail to appear for medical examinations.
The terrorist military plans to open 17 military training courses this month, with each course requiring 5,000 young recruits, leading to increased forced recruitment, porter conscription, and summons throughout the region. This situation has created widespread fear among local residents, particularly forcing young people to flee their homes. The forced recruitment particularly endangers those aged between 18 and 35, causing family separations and community disruption. Local families express deep concern about the military’s aggressive recruitment tactics, which have torn apart numerous households and forced many young people into hiding or fleeing their homes to avoid conscription.
