11 May 2026 By Hsu Yee
MANDALAY, Myanmar — At least 19 young volunteers from a local social welfare group were forcibly detained by Myanmar military personnel in Mandalay on Friday night, as the junta ramps up its aggressive recruitment drive in the country’s second-largest city.
The raid took place around 11:30 PM on 8 May at the “Helping Hands” (Fay Ku Let Myar) Social Welfare Association, located in Maha Aung Myay Township. Witnesses and local monitoring groups, including Voice of Mandalay, reported that approximately 10 soldiers arrived in two vehicles to apprehend the youth while they were gathered at the charity’s headquarters.
Local social workers believe the military is now targeting charity organisations and known youth gathering spots to fill recruitment quotas more efficiently. “It’s easier for them to raid a place where many youths are together than to hunt individuals down on the streets,” a Mandalay-based aid worker told MPA. “There are reports that informers are being used to point out these locations.”
The whereabouts of the 19 detainees remain unknown, raising concerns among families about potential torture or immediate deployment to frontlines.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of “forced disappearances” in Mandalay. On 10 May, soldiers reportedly seized a 32-year-old man from an auto repair shop in the same township.
Inland sources suggest that the military has begun offering financial incentives to pro-junta militias, known as Pyu Saw Htee, to assist in the abductions. Militias are reportedly being offered an average of 200,000 Kyats (approximately $50) for every youth they deliver for military service. The junta is reportedly aiming to secure between 400 and 600 new conscripts per week in the city alone.
Residents are being warned to avoid unnecessary travel as militias and soldiers increasingly conduct home invasions and street-side kidnappings. “These groups are operating with total impunity,” a spokesperson from Voice of Mandalay said. “They are targeting anyone they can find to meet their numbers, often resorting to violence during the arrests.”
The military junta has not officially commented on the Mandalay raids. However, the enforcement of the national conscription law has sparked a mass exodus of young people from urban centers, with many seeking refuge in border areas or joining resistance groups to avoid being forced into service for a military they despise.
