By Ko Paing / MPA
The military junta has stepped up nighttime arrests across Yangon as it begins recruitment for the 12th batch of forced military conscription, according to a police source in the city.
With the launch of recruitment for the 12th batch of forced military conscription, junta troops in Yangon have intensified nighttime arrest operations, according to a city-based police source.
“The number of willing recruits has dropped as the batches increase. So, military units, police, and their hired enforcers have been rounding people up—especially targeting the outskirts of Yangon in recent days,” the source told MPA.
A recent report from the Rangoon Scout Network (RSN) described one such incident: around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, a group of men emerged from a private car and attempted to detain a young man in his 20s as he walked with his mother near the Hledan Overpass. The man resisted and managed to escape.
Commenting on the case, an RSN representative said, “We don’t yet have concrete evidence to confirm the military was behind the arrest attempt. However, based on local reports, it appears that groups operating under instructions from the military and police are carrying out these abductions.”
The source speculated that the attempted arrest near Hledan was linked to conscription efforts.
“These arrests happen almost every night. They become more aggressive as the deadline to deliver new conscripts approaches. Lately, we’re seeing more cases where the military and police outsource the arrests to thugs or pro-junta militias,” the source added.
The RSN also reported that over 30 young people are being detained each night in Yangon as the junta scrambles to meet its conscription quotas.
