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 there are also Bamar, Mon, Karen, and a few Chin among them.
Following interrogation in Myeik, the troops released a few dozen men and women who are in their 40s, but the remaining 140 are in their early 20s and remain in detention. According to those who escaped, they are likely to be conscripted into the military, he said.
The fate of the three brokers is unknown.
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.
Myeik residents frequently hear reports of migrant workers being arrested during their journey to Thailand.
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.
At the same time, another group of migrants crossed the Tanintharyi border in search of work but were arrested and conscripted into the military at the Palaw Operations Command. There 29 conscripts reportedly overpowered and killed two junta guards, seized their weapons, and escaped to KNU territory, but two others remain missing.
Ko Ye Min noted that cases of migrants being rounded up for conscription have become increasingly common. Junta authorities and troops are also forcibly conscripting people who have been repatriated from Thailand.
The total since the regime promulgated a national conscription law in February runs to over 1,000, according to figures compiled by the MHAC.
Ko Ye Min warned young people in Myanmar not to attempt to enter Thailand illegally as there is currently little hope for them in the country, which takes a hard line against them if they are caught.
“Instead, I’d like to urge the young people to join nearby resistance forces and fight against the junta,” he added.
