Junta Conscripts Detail Abductions, Frame-Ups, and Brutal Torture in Frontline Bases

Former junta conscripts who surrendered to the Arakan Army (AA) have detailed how Myanmar's military forcibly abducts civilians, frames them on fabricated drug charges, and subjects recruits to severe torture and abuse.

Privates Soe Min Thein and Aung Kyaw Naing, abducted from streets in Yangon and Mandalay, recounted their experiences in AA custody after fleeing their frontline posts in Arakan State's Kyaukphyu Township.

Soe Min Thein said military officers abducted him after work, placed illicit drugs in his hands to photograph him, and forced him to choose between military service and prison.

After choosing enlistment under torture, officers sent him to training depots where instructors routinely beat recruits.

"When officers caught me during an escape attempt, they forced us to lie face down and struck us 20 times with batons before shackling our legs," Aung Kyaw Naing said.

On the Kyaukphyu front line, superiors forced conscripts into hard labor, including digging trenches, carrying heavy supplies, and standing guard.

Both men reported daily beatings and verbal abuse, adding that severe demoralization drove several conscripts to self-harm and suicide.

"I saw a conscript shoot himself in the neck to end his life," Soe Min Thein said.

Fearing for their lives, both soldiers fled their posts, raised a white flag, and surrendered to AA forces.

Photo caption: Private Aung Kyaw Naing and Private Soe Min Thein, who surrendered to the AA after being forcibly conscripted by the junta. (Photo: AA Info Desk)