Junta sweeps Hkamti for conscripts, elderly also abducted

In Hkamti Township, Naga Self-Administered Zone, Sagaing Region, the junta has intensified abductions for conscription, forcing not only young men but also middle-aged and elderly residents into hiding.

Infantry Battalion 52 (IB 52), based in Hkamti Town, has recently carried out abductions in villages along the Hkamti–Lahe Highway. According to a Hkamti resident, the abductors, dressed in civilian clothes and traveling in unmarked vehicles, have been targeting not only the young but also middle-aged and elderly men, forcing residents to hide or flee.

“Their main target is young men, but they also take anyone who’s still able-bodied and strong, even among the elderly. In some villages, all the men have fled, and there isn’t a single man left,” he told KNG.