Junta Launches Door-to-Door Conscription Drive in Sagaing Following Wave of Arrests
Military junta authorities in Sagaing have begun delivering mandatory conscription notices directly to the homes of local youths, requiring them to register for military service, residents told CJ Platform.
The township conscription team, operating through the General Administration Department (GAD), started distributing the notices on January 15. This follows a systematic data collection effort that began in early January, targeting young men who are neither students nor civil servants.
“They have been collecting lists of youths in the wards since the beginning of the year,” a 23-year-old male resident of Sagaing told CJ Platform. “They specifically looked for those who aren’t students or government employees. The formal summons letters only started arriving in the last few days.”
Recruits were ordered to report to the Township GAD office today, January 16, to register as eligible personnel. Notices have been spotted in Parami Ward and several other urban areas across the city.
The formal summons follows a period of heightened insecurity. Residents report daily arrests and “portering” (forced recruitment) at major intersections, traffic lights, and along the Mandalay-Monywa highway. On January 9, approximately 25 young people were reportedly detained near the Sagaing city entrance and Shwe Min Wun Ward by a joint force of junta troops and Pyu Saw Htee militia members. They were reportedly taken to the Sagaing-based 33rd Light Infantry Division headquarters.
“Yesterday, GAD staff and security forces were actively arresting youths in the city to fill their quotas,” another resident added.
Since the military council activated the People’s Military Service Law in February 2024, it has intensified efforts to meet a monthly recruitment quota of approximately 5,000 personnel. While 20 training batches have reportedly been completed as of late last year, the junta is now aggressively targeting a new wave of youth to replenish its ranks through both formal summons and arbitrary street abductions.
Note: This news has been translated and presented using AI.