25 Burmese workers returned by Thai authority arrested by junta and forced into compulsory military service

August 14, 2024

HURFOM: On July 30th, 2024, the Thai authority sent back 152 Burmese migrant workers who had finished serving a penalty for illegal entry into Thailand. The workers were dropped at Kaw Thaung seaport, Kaw Thaung Town, Tenasserim Division.

Among the workers, 25 young male workers were arrested by the Chief of the Kaw Thaung Immigration Department, and the military junta forced into compulsory military service, according to a local source.

“They selected and arrested 25 young and middle-aged men. Then, they released the others, including women,” said an anonymous source.

Among the arrested workers, five young men are native to Kaw Thaung Town. The military junta has threatened their family members to pay a ransom of 30,000 Thai Baht for each, to secure their release. However, only one worker was able to pay the demanded amount.

The remaining 24 young men have been sent and detained at Kaw Thaung based the 262^nd Light Infantry Battalion.

“They’ve been detained at the military base for a week. Most of them are from Yangon, Dawei, Myeik and Pu Law,” said a Kaw Thaung resident.

The military junta arrests Burmese migrant workers sent back by the Thai authority for illegal entry or who are involved in criminal cases, and forces them into compulsory military service. These actions by the junta have escalated worry among migrant workers’ families.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News