TEDIM, Myanmar — Around 600 villagers in northern Chin State have taken to the streets to protest against the forced recruitment of youths by a local anti-junta resistance group, highlighting growing internal friction within the opposition movement.
The demonstration occurred in Lai Tui village, Tedim Township, on the afternoon of March 25, 2026. Residents are demanding the immediate release of 12 young men who were allegedly abducted from their homes by the PDF Zoland defense force a day earlier.
The protest followed an emotional village meeting where parents of the missing youths appealed for help. “The parents were in tears, begging for their sons to be brought home,” a resident of Lai Tui told MPA. “That was the catalyst for the entire village to come out and demonstrate.”
According to witnesses, the recruitment drive turned aggressive after village leaders refused to hand over names for military service. “The troops arrived on March 24 in trucks and demanded that the village elders select recruits to bolster their ranks,” the resident added. “The village head declined, saying that anyone who wanted to join should do so voluntarily. In response, the troops entered the village and began snatching people.”
In addition to the 12 men from Lai Tui, three others from the nearby Mwi Zawl village were also reportedly detained.
The incident follows an official announcement by PDF Zoland on March 24, marking the fifth anniversary of the revolution. The group declared that all able-bodied men and women in the Tedim and Tonzang townships are now required to serve at least three years in the resistance.
While the sham government’s military has been widely condemned for its own aggressive conscription law, this move by a local defense force suggests that manpower shortages are also pressuring opposition ranks. PDF Zoland had previously stated in February that it would “cultivate” over 200 laborers detained during opium poppy farm raids into “public service soldiers.”
MPA has reached out to PDF Zoland for comment, but the group has yet to provide an official response. On their social media platforms, the force continues to advertise for its 19th basic military training cycle.
The protest in Tedim marks a significant moment of civilian pushback against the recruitment tactics of the resistance. For many in Chin State, the struggle is increasingly two-fold: resisting the national military’s authoritarianism while navigating the demands of local armed groups that have taken control of their ancestral lands.
