In Yenangyaung city of Magway Region, the military is conducting arrests of young people for forced porter service, demanding 50 million kyats (approximately USD 24,000) per person for their release. According to local residents, those unable to pay the demanded ransom are being sent to military training schools. On August 11, two individuals – Ko Chit, who works in the Yenangyaung Industrial Zone, and Ko Lwin Moe from Thirty-Six Village – were arrested by soldiers who demanded 50 million kyats each for their release.
As the families of the arrested individuals were unable to pay the demanded amount, both men were transferred to a military training school in Magway city where they are currently undergoing medical examinations. According to local residents, the military is conducting daily arrests of young people in Yenangyaung, particularly targeting those working in the industrial zone. These arrests are accompanied by consistent monetary demands from the victims’ families.
In a similar incident on August 9, the son of an industrial zone business owner was also arrested and his family was forced to pay 50 million kyats for his release. Local sources indicate that these arrests are primarily motivated by the military’s attempt to generate funds, with those able to pay being released while others are forcibly conscripted into military service through mandatory training programs. This pattern of arrests and extortion has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among the local population, particularly affecting young workers in the industrial zone and their families.
