In Aung Chan Thar village of Thanatpin Township, Bago Region, the military-appointed administrator Mya Naing has been forcibly collecting military service fees from local residents and arresting young people who cannot pay, conscripting them as forced military recruits. According to local residents, the administrator charges 10 million kyats (approximately USD 4,800) from those willing to serve as military substitutes while forcibly recruiting young people from Aung Chan Thar village as replacement soldiers. Currently, four young people from Aung Chan Thar village have been forcibly conscripted as military substitutes.
Local residents report that wealthy individuals from other villages pay Administrator Mya Naing to find military substitutes, effectively creating a system where he profits by selling conscripts for 10 million kyats each. He particularly targets young people from financially struggling households, arresting and forcing them into military service if they cannot pay the required fees. The village is also subjected to monthly military service fees, which have increased from 20,000 kyats to 30,000 kyats over the past three months. Additionally, households are being forced to pay between 400,000 and 500,000 kyats under the guise of agricultural loans.
Many villagers report being completely unaware of these supposed agricultural loans, yet their names are included in village-wide lists demanding repayment. The military-appointed administrator maintains this system of forced conscription and financial exploitation, creating an atmosphere of fear and economic hardship in the community. Residents must pay these monthly fees promptly, as failure to do so results in threats of immediate conscription, announced through loudspeakers using their names. This coercive system has created a climate of fear and financial strain among the village residents, who are forced to comply with these demands to avoid being conscripted into military service.
