Irrawaddy-Mar 4
A Thai immigration center accused of aiding the Myanmar junta’s conscription drive deported another 200 Myanmar nationals to regime authorities in Kawthaung town, Tanintharyi Region, in late February, sparking international protests. All but four of the deportees were reportedly conscripted by the regime. A recent investigation by The Irrawaddy exposed how the junta is using Ranong Immigration Center as a recruitment hub, forcibly conscripting hundreds of its detainees amid recruitment struggles at home. The investigation revealed that Thai authorities in Ranong are indirectly aiding conscription efforts under the cover of an immigration crackdown, handing over 1,556 mostly male Myanmar nationals to regime authorities in Kawthaung between June and December 2024. One detainee reported that a Myanmar military officer visited the Ranong center to pre-select men, including himself, for conscription. Human rights defenders, anti-regime groups, and conscripts’ family members have called on the Thai government to stop deporting young people into a life-threatening situation in Myanmar. The center holds mainly undocumented immigrants and those accused of minor crimes. A representative of a human rights group monitoring the junta’s conscription of deportees from Thailand told The Irrawaddy that all 200 deportees, except for four women, were sent to the junta’s Battalion 262 headquarters in Kawthaung for mandatory military service. “They will undergo two medical checkups and be forcibly conscripted. Only those considered disabled or unfit for military service will be released,” the source said. The representative condemned the Ranong deportation process as “unacceptable.” “This is among the worst forms of human rights violation. These individuals have already served their penalty for various charges in Thailand and should be free upon returning to their homeland.” Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/pressure-on-thailand-grows-as-200-myanmar-deportees-fed-into-junta-war-machine.html
