Dozens of Young People Held at Myine Thayar Police Station as Junta Forcibly Conscripts 180 Youths Across Mon State

May 19, 2025

Around 50 young people were reportedly detained at the Myine Thayar police station, Mawlamyine, the capitial of Mon State, with a total of approximately 180 individuals arrested from Bilin, Mudon, and Paung townships for forced conscription into the junta’s Batch 13 military training. The arrests mark a worrying escalation in the junta’s ongoing efforts to expand its military ranks through coercion and fear.

Early in the morning on May 17, the conscripts were sent to a military training school under the Southeastern Command in Mawlamyine. Junta-appointed Mon State Chief Minister U Aung Kyi Thein, along with state-level officials and military commanders, were present to oversee the initiation of the training.

Many of the recruits were not volunteers. According to reports from local residents and sources close to the junta, several young men were arrested under various pretexts and later transferred directly to the training facility.

“Around 50 people were being held at the Myine Thayar police station. They were all taken to the military training school from there. Others were brought in from various townships by boat. This batch has more than 180 people—more than usual,” said a source in Mawlamyine.

Although there has been no official announcement from the junta regarding the number of recruits, HURFOM’s sources have confirmed that the number of conscripts in Batch 13 exceeds 180.

Since the junta began enforcing its military conscription law in Mon State, over 2,400 young people have been forcibly recruited between Batch 1 and Batch 12. The ongoing arbitrary arrests, forced conscription, and lack of transparency continue to cause fear and uncertainty across communities in Mon State.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News