Thaton Township Residents in Pa’O-dominant villages threatened with conscription

July 30, 2025

HURFOM: On July 21^st, 2025, the junta-appointed village administration teams threatened the Pa’O-dominant villages in Thaton Township, Mon State with conscription.

Villages such as Naung Bo, Naung Kalar, Ah Lan Ta Yar, Za Yit Chaung and Thar Yar Gone village were told that local young men eligible for conscription would be collected from their homes at the end of July, 2025. The threat is creating fear and worry for the local communities.

“We have to live with fear. Households with young male family members have to worry every day thinking their sons will be collected as conscript. The administrators are focusing only on their personal interest rather than protection of people and villages. They’ve applied more pressure on households who have young men,” said a Thaton resident.

Village administrators threatened that if young men are away from home during the time of door-to-door collection, family members will be arrested and jailed.

“We don’t know exactly how many young men will be collected per batch but we expect they’ll collect as many as they can,” a local source told HURFOM.

Authorities in Thaton Township have not extorted money from villagers to support conscripts but they have been arresting those who breach “local orders”. There have been incidents with two men riding the same motorbike, or riding unlicensed vehicles, or breaches of the curfew, that result in the young men being forced to join the army.

The military junta has already organized 15 batches of military trainings for conscripts in Mon State and they are now increasing momentum collecting conscripts for the Batch #16.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News