Irrawaddy-Oct 17
Junta troops arrested some 200 people in Myeik Township, Tanintharyi Region who tried to cross into Thailand on Oct. 15, and 140 of them are being forcibly conscripted into the military, according to a Thai-based NGO. “Over 190 men and women plus three brokers were arrested in Myeik on Tuesday while trying to cross the border between Kawthaung and Ranong,” said Ko Ye Min of the Myanmar Humanitarian Action Center (MHAC) in Thailand. He said most of those arrested are young people from various parts of Myanmar. The majority are ethnic Rakhine, but also Bamar, Mon, Karen, and a few Chin. Following interrogation in Myeik, the troops released a few dozen men and women in their 40s, but the remaining 140 in their early 20s remain in detention. A resident of Myeik confirmed that the migrants were arrested and that the remaining detainees are scheduled to be sent to a military training school. “They were initially detained at an infantry base and Myeik Air Base. After the release of the older people, the remaining young people are expected to be transferred to No. 12 Advanced Military Training Depot,” he said. The training school is in the township’s Shwedu Village. In early September, 27 Myanmar migrants repatriated by Thai authorities were forcibly conscripted but successfully escaped to the Karen National Union (KNU) in Tanintharyi Region. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-military-steps-up-conscription-of-would-be-migrant-workers.html
