A young man named Maung Aung Kyaw Oo from Pyigyitagon Township, Mandalay Region, died two days after being forcibly recruited for military service by the Myanmar military. On May 26, military personnel and Pyu Saw Htee militia members came to his residence at No. 77, 71st Street, Ngwe Taw Kyi Kon Ward, where he lived with his parents U Than Ngwe and Daw Mo Khaing, and took him away for military service. On the morning of May 28, the military informed his parents that Maung Aung Kyaw Oo had died and asked them to collect his body.
While the military claimed that he died due to health issues, family members stated that he had no pre-existing medical conditions before being taken by the military. The Pyu Saw Htee members who came to conscript Maung Aung Kyaw Oo were identified as Zaw Min Htun, Min Zaw Htet, Maung Soe Kyi Lay, Phyo Kyaw, and San Shar, along with other militia members and soldiers. When the military returned his body, family members discovered various injuries on his body. The military pressured the family not to take photographs of the body, share information on social media, or allow any news about the death to spread.
Friends of the deceased suggested that he was likely beaten to death following some kind of incident after being taken to the military compound. This is not an isolated incident, as the military has a history of torturing and killing conscripted civilians. In March 2024, a similar case occurred in Yangon Region where Ko Ko Latt (also known as Amanwatla), a 27-year-old from Taikkyi town, died from torture after being taken to a military battalion for forced military service.
These incidents demonstrate the military’s ongoing practice of forced conscription, torture, and killing of civilians. The military continues to commit these violations against civilians, using various means of coercion and violence to maintain their control. The death of Maung Aung Kyaw Oo adds to the growing list of civilian casualties resulting from the military’s brutal practices of forced recruitment and subsequent mistreatment of those taken into their custody.
