A concerning incident has emerged from Hlaing Tharyar Township in Yangon Region, where two young men were deceived into military recruitment under the pretense of security guard positions offering a monthly salary of 510,000 kyats at the Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone. The victims, Maung Zaw Htet Lin and Maung Ye Naung, both 25 years old from Thanatpin Township in Bago Region, responded to a job advertisement for security personnel positions at the industrial zone. The incident has raised serious concerns about deceptive recruitment practices being used to force civilians into military service.
The two young men traveled to Yangon on May 4 to apply for the advertised security positions, after which they lost contact with their families. It wasn’t until May 8 that they were able to inform their families that they had been taken to the Danyin Gone military recruitment center in Insein Township. Prior to their journey to Yangon, they had been required to submit their personal information and photographs through Viber messaging application. Upon arriving in Hlaing Tharyar, they were met by two men in civilian clothing on motorcycles who then transferred them to a hired vehicle that transported them to the military recruitment center.
The victims’ mobile phones were confiscated upon arrival at the recruitment center, effectively cutting off their communication with the outside world. It wasn’t until May 8 that they managed to contact their families by paying to use a soldier’s phone at the recruitment center. The two young men are now scheduled to attend the 13th intake of military training this month, having been forced into military service against their will. This case highlights the ongoing practice of forced recruitment by the military council, where civilians are targeted through deceptive job advertisements promising attractive salaries and legitimate employment opportunities, only to be coerced into military service.
