By Zwe Ko / MPA
Six young men, in Okpho township of Bago Region, who had been abducted and sent to a military training school have successfully escaped and reached the Hero Guerrilla Force (Gyobingauk), No.5 company of No. 3801 Battalion of People Defense Force – Tharrawaddy district, according to the escaped youths.
One of the escapees, a 21-year-old, recounted that in late August 2024, a young man from a village in Okpho Township was forcibly conscripted by military troops. The six youths who managed to escape, all in their early twenties, have shared their harrowing experience of abduction and forced military training.
“They threatened to shoot us if we tried to escape,” one of the youths explained. “We were first held at the Township Administrator’s Office for about a week, then transferred to Battalion 35 in Tharrawaddy for over ten days. After that, we were sent to Toungoo for three weeks of military training. By the end of September, we managed to escape.”
Another 20-year-old youth, who was similarly detained while shopping in Okpho, described his ordeal. “I was taken by a soldier and a police officer, then transferred step by step to the military training school in Toungoo, just like the others.”
He also revealed the conditions they faced. “In Tharrawaddy, they told us we had to serve in the military for two years, with three months of training followed by one year and nine months in a battalion. They took blood tests and forced us to sign a contract stating we were joining voluntarily, but the contract said we had to serve for five years. We were given basic meals, but if we complained, we were beaten. They also threatened our families to stop us from escaping.”
In addition to being forcibly conscripted, the youths’ families were extorted by the junta regime. “They demanded money, threatening that if our families didn’t pay, they’d send someone else in our place. Some families paid around 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 kyats. Even after taking the money, the junta still sent us to Toungoo the next morning, confiscating our phones. I personally lost about 5,000,000 kyats,” one youth explained.
After their escape, the six youths contacted a revolutionary ally in Toungoo and were rescued by the Hero Guerrilla Force (Gyobingauk), part of the People’s Defense Force (Tharrawaddy District, Battalion 3801, Company No. 5), according to the unit’s commander, Bo Moe Kyo Lay.
“It took about a week to bring them here, and we’ve provided them with proper care. We are prepared to assist other youths who may be abducted in the same way. We urge young people to be cautious and avoid getting caught in such situations,” said Bo Moe Kyo Lay.
The escapees also expressed their intent to fight back against the military forces that had abducted them. They revealed that more than 20 other youths have also escaped from the military training school in Toungoo.
Following the enactment of the conscription law on February 10, 2024, the military has been forcibly conscripting individuals, including those with disabilities and chronic diseases, according to the escapees. Despite their conditions, none were released and were instead sent to military training schools.
