Reports from local residents reveal that the military is forcibly recruiting youths under 18 years of age for military service in Yetarshe Township, Bago Region. The military, in collaboration with the Immigration Department, is reportedly falsifying national identity cards for underage recruits, claiming they are 18 years old, before sending them to military training camps. Parents of these detained youths have attempted to prove their children’s actual ages using birth certificates, but the military has consistently rejected such evidence.
In Myolat town’s Chaungmagyi 1 Ward, ward administrator Thein Phay Myint, working alongside military forces, has been conducting house-to-house searches to arrest young people. Reports indicate that even 15-year-olds with larger physical builds are being detained. Upon detention, the military immediately contacts the Immigration Department to issue fraudulent identity cards showing the recruits as 18 years old, enabling their immediate transfer to military training facilities. Local sources confirm that this practice has become increasingly common in the area.
Additionally, the military is enforcing mandatory military service fees throughout Yetarshe Township. Regular households are required to pay a minimum of 100,000 kyats monthly, while families with members abroad must pay 250,000 kyats per month. The situation is particularly severe for religious minorities, with Muslim, Christian, and Hindu households being forced to pay up to 600,000 kyats monthly in military service fees. These collections are being carried out through a coordinated effort between the military, police force, Pyu Saw Htee groups, and ward administrators, who are systematically targeting these communities for higher payments.
