A concerning incident has emerged from Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone in Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon Region, where young men were deceived into military recruitment after responding to a job advertisement for security positions offering a monthly salary of 510,000 kyats. The case involves two 25-year-old men from Thanatpin Township, Bago Region – Maung Zaw Htet Lin and Maung Ye Naung – who traveled to Yangon to apply for what they believed were legitimate security positions.
The events unfolded on May 4th when the two young men arrived in Yangon to apply for the security positions. Contact with them was lost later that evening, and it wasn’t until May 8th that they were able to inform their families that they had been taken to the Danyin Gone military recruitment center in Insein Township. They were told they would need to complete a three-month training course before being assigned to security positions. The victims were initially contacted through a job advertisement that promised attractive compensation and employment opportunities.
According to a friend of the detained young men, they had submitted their personal information and photographs via Viber messaging application before traveling to Hlaing Tharyar. Upon arrival, they were met by two men in civilian clothing on motorcycles who then transferred them to a hired vehicle that transported them to the Danyin Gone recruitment center. Their mobile phones were confiscated, effectively cutting off their communication with the outside world. It wasn’t until May 8th that they managed to contact their families using a phone belonging to a soldier at the recruitment center, for which they had to pay a fee.
Currently, Maung Ye Naung and Maung Zaw Htet Lin are scheduled to attend the 13th intake of military training beginning this month. In light of this incident, warnings have been issued regarding the need for careful scrutiny of job advertisements promising high salaries, whether online or in printed materials. Particular caution is advised regarding security position job offerings, as they may be used as a front for forced military recruitment. This case highlights the ongoing practice of deceptive recruitment tactics being used to force young people into military service, raising serious concerns about human rights violations and the safety of job seekers in Myanmar.
