In Chauk Township, Magway Region, military forces and Pyu Saw Htee members are forcibly recruiting young people for the 17th batch of military service starting in September, as reported by local residents. Under the direction of Major Tin Htun Oo, Administrative Body Member 1 of Chauk Township, military personnel, Pyu Saw Htee members, and police forces are conducting raids on homes, even climbing onto rooftops to arrest young people. Since August 20, they have been conducting day and night operations throughout Chauk town, forcibly recruiting youth as porters, raiding shops, and violently arresting young people from their homes.
The situation in Chauk has been marked by Pyu Saw Htee’s oppressive activities for some time, and now with the complete failure to recruit sufficient numbers for the 17th military service batch, they have resorted to morning raids on shops and homes. Even underage youth are being arrested. While some wealthy families can pay to have their children released, most cannot afford this option. Military forces, Pyu Saw Htee members, and police are patrolling the town in civilian vehicles, actively hunting for young people to arrest.
As a result of this targeted recruitment campaign, shops in Chauk town have been left without young male workers, and young laborers are too afraid to go to work, severely impacting their livelihoods. The military’s arrests are being conducted outside legal boundaries, with recruited youth being handcuffed like criminals. Multiple security checkpoints have been established throughout the town, where young people are being arrested without any justification.
While military bases are concentrated in the town proper, People’s Defense Force (PDF) groups maintain a presence in the rural areas. At town checkpoints, young people are immediately arrested upon entry without any explanation, with dozens being detained daily. Parents of young men are left helpless, not knowing how to protect their children. The township frequently experiences clashes between military forces and revolutionary groups, with the military regularly conducting operations aimed at destroying villages in the area.
