November 6, 2024 – In Magway and Pyigyidagon districts, military, police, and administrative forces have been arresting young people, stating to their families that the state has the right to detain and conscript anyone for military service. Local residents reported that these arrests are part of ongoing efforts to force civilians into the military.
In the last few days of November, in the Lonnmyatkan village tract of Magway District, an administrator named Win Myint coordinated with military personnel at the Natmok Road entrance to capture young villagers, who were then forced into conscription. Win Myint is said to have personally gathered over 30 people, forming a group similar to a military unit, with weapons including more than 20 firearms. Additionally, local residents from nearby villages have also been taken into custody under similar circumstances.
“They have formed a group for the junta’s military service. Win Myint himself has gathered over 30 people, armed with more than 20 guns. Some of the nearby villages on Natmok and Magway main roads have been targeted for conscription. The captured civilians have been taken to the 301st Infantry Battalion in Magway City, where they are selected by money. Those without money are sent to the military training school and subsequently dispatched to the front lines,” said a local source.
Youths arrested in Magway have been detained at the 301st Infantry Battalion, where military authorities have informed their families that the state has the legal right to detain and conscript anyone for military service. They were told that the detained youths would eventually be in touch once they returned home.
In Takkone village tract of Magway District, the village administrator Moe Zaw allegedly extorted between 70,000 and 100,000 kyats from each family under the guise of military law, threatening to force conscription if they failed to comply.
