On August 1, military council troops forcibly arrested 10 young people as porters from passenger buses in Salin town, Magway Region. According to local residents, the arrested youth included 7 passengers from the Shwe Pyae Hein and Shwe Phyu Zaw buses arriving from Yangon, 1 passenger from the Sein Tan Khon bus from Mandalay, and 2 passengers from the Swel Taw Phyu bus heading to Magway, totaling 10 young men who were detained by the military council forces.
All of the arrested individuals are male and were taken to the Salin Police Station where they remain in detention. Local residents report that the current whereabouts and intended destination of the detained youth remain unknown. The military council forces regularly use civilians as porters during their military operations in the region, and this targeting of civilian travelers represents another human rights violation by the military council, according to local residents. The arrests were carried out without any explanation or justification, with troops simply forcing the young men off the buses and into detention.
A local resident stated that the arrested youth were ordinary civilian travelers who were forcibly taken without any stated reason by the military council troops. Additionally, the families of the detained youth have not been allowed to make contact with them. Human rights observers note that the military council’s practice of forcing civilians to serve as porters during military operations violates international law. The ongoing detention of these young travelers at the Salin Police Station highlights the military council’s continued oppression of civilians and disregard for basic human rights in the region.
