On July 28, a forced recruitment operation took place at the Bayintnaung Market Complex in Mayangone Township, Yangon Region, where young people were forcibly conscripted into military service. Around noon, a group consisting of the Ward 1 administrator, Pyu Saw Htee members, and soldiers entered the market complex and began arresting young people who were going about their daily business. Those arrested were taken to the ward administration office where they were forced to fill out military service forms and sign documents before being notified to their families and transferred to the Bayintnaung interrogation camp in the evening.
Among those arrested was 22-year-old Kyaw Lin Naing from Insein Pawtaw, who was captured while working at the market complex. He was conscripted for the upcoming 16th batch of military recruits scheduled to begin training in August. Mayangone Township has become notorious for having one of the highest rates of forced military recruitment, particularly under Ward 4 administrator Myo Oo, a member of the USDP party, who has been accused of extorting money and arbitrarily arresting young people under the pretext of military service.
Ward 4 administrator Myo Oo has been known to target young people from families who oppose him, summoning them under the pretense of military service lottery selection and demanding money. Those unable to pay are sent to the military. However, it has been reported that he has exempted four of his own relatives, including nephews and sons-in-law, from military service by hiding them at relatives’ homes in South Okkalapa instead of registering them for service. Furthermore, when a young person he had previously conscripted was killed in recent fighting in Naung Cho, northern Shan State, he delayed informing the family for several days and insisted that the funeral be conducted quietly. These actions demonstrate the systematic oppression and selective enforcement of military recruitment policies by local authorities aligned with the military council.
