In Mawlamyinegyun, Ko Zin Min Htet was taken away under the pretext of checking household lists and sent to military training; youths are also being rounded up and arrested in Bilin, Thaton, and Kyaikto

Yangon, July 9 In Mawlamyinegyun Township, Ayeyarwady Region, a local youth named Ko Zin Min Htet was taken from his home by the village administrator and police, under the pretext of checking household lists, and sent to military training batch 25, according to local residents. According to locals, around 10 p.m. on May 21, the village administrator Thet Paing and about five police officers from the Myat Tharr police station arrived at the home of Ko Zin Min Htet, who lives in Aye Zofee village, Myat Tharr village tract, Mawlamyinegyun Township, and asked him to accompany them briefly for a household list check, after which they took him away. Local residents said that Ko Zin Min Htet was not released afterward and was sent directly to military training batch 25. "They took him away saying they were going to check the household list. They didn't release him and sent him straight to military training," said a local resident. According to locals, village administrator Thet Paing collected 40,000 kyats per person from those eligible for military service from batch 4 to batch 25, when the Conscription Law began to be implemented, and 15,000 kyats per household from households not eligible for military service due to age. However, despite collecting these funds, Ko Zin Min Htet was taken away for military service, and the collected funds are being used for personal gain without providing financial support to the youths called up for military service, locals said. "In the village, they collected money from almost every household as military service fees, but they cannot protect the youths. Those taken away under the pretext of checking household lists will not return," said a local resident. Similarly, in Tabetswe village, Bilin Township, Mon State, the military council's troops and relevant organizations are rounding up youths for conscription, and all males within a household are being taken away, according to local residents. It is reported that youths are being arrested and sent to military training in the areas outside Thaton city, and there have been continuous arrests of individuals riding motorcycles in pairs, who are then sent for military service. Furthermore, at the Tarcha bridge checkpoint in Kyaikto Township, Karen State, 17 youths were arrested within a few days and sent to military training, according to local residents. "Now, in many areas, youths are being rounded up and sent to military training. They are being taken away under the pretext of checking household lists, arrested during roadside checks, and arrested at checkpoints. It is happening everywhere," said a local resident. According to local residents, the military council's conscription efforts are becoming more widespread in many regions, including Ayeyarwady Region, Mon State, and Karen State, and youths are being sent to military training through methods such as household list checks, roadside checks, and arrests at checkpoints, causing growing concern among local residents.