According to military sources, Captain Zin Ko Htet from No. 1 Mining Research and Technology Development Unit (Na Ta 1) has been arresting and extorting money from young gold mine workers in Pyinoolwin Township, Mandalay Region, forcing those who cannot pay into military service. The captain, a graduate of the 59th intake of the Defense Services Academy, has detained approximately 50 young workers from the gold mining areas and is demanding 1 million kyats from each person. Those unable to pay the demanded sum are being forcibly recruited into military service.
Military sources reveal that the gold mining areas in Pyinoolwin have become a lucrative opportunity for Captain Zin Ko Htet due to the large number of young workers employed there. Furthermore, he has been using the extorted money to bribe higher-ranking officers, including township and battalion commanders, to gain special privileges. He has been exploiting these connections to travel by military helicopter and take leave under the pretext of medical treatment, despite such privileges being restricted during the current period of conflict.
Sources within the military highlight the stark contrast in treatment, noting that even soldiers wounded in combat are denied access to helicopter medical evacuations, while Captain Zin Ko Htet freely uses military aircraft and takes leave due to his bribes to superior officers. Despite the military’s current policy of restricting leave for all personnel, he alone enjoys special privileges. Although assigned to operations in Northern Shan State, he has abandoned his duties to engage in illegal activities. Due to his ability to influence superior officers through financial means, he continues to operate with impunity, with no one able to take disciplinary action against him despite his clear violations of military law and regulations.
