150 individuals from Kyaukphyu camp forcefully enrolled into military service

No less than 150 men are being forced into military service from Kyauk Ta Lone Muslim refugee camp in Kyaukphyu township of Rakhine State recently.

A young man from the camp informed that the Kyauk Ta Lone IDP camp management committee had conducted a list of IDP men, who are 18 to 55 years old, on 17 February and announced that they have to serve in the military.

"Three people, including U Maw Ni from the camp management committee, collected the list for military service. They checked our ages and prepared the list," he added.

The new military service law indicates that citizens under the specific age group should join the military services and hence the list included names of those individuals.

Moreover, only IDP men were included in the list.

According to a young human rights activist from Kyaukphyu, the military junta was expecting 150 individuals for military service from  Kyauk Ta Lone IDP camp within a week.

"We have heard that the soldiers asked the camp management to provide 150 individuals. Otherwise, they would be arrested,” he asserted.

Narinjara News tried to contact Kyauk Ta Lone IDP camp administrator U Maw Ni, but failed to get his response.

There are over 300 households (more than 1,000 people) in the camp. They were relocated from urban wards like Ah Yar Shi,  Pike Seik, Than Ban Chaung and Toe Chae ward of Kyaukphyu township in 2012 due to the conflicts.

On 10 February, the junta began enforcing the mandatory military service law. The political observers term it as a dictatorial approach as it evades the people's consent.