In Sittwe City, Rakhine State, the Myanmar military’s ongoing conscription drive has left Rohingya youths from local IDP camps and surrounding villages in dire straits. According to ground reports, youths from Thek Kay Pyin, Bawdupha, Darpaing, Basara, Ohn Taw Gyi, Ohn Taw Chay, Thay Chaung IDP camps, along with Bumay and Aung Min Galar wards, have been forcibly drafted into military service. In response, the camp management committee and village leaders are now collecting money to support the families left behind and provide a monthly salary for those conscripted.
The situation on the ground remains relatively calm, despite sporadic artillery fire from the military in areas like Ah Myint Gyun, War Bo, and Amyin Hla, where the Arakan Army (AA) is believed to be stationed.
In a related development, nearly 150 Rohingyas have been detained at Sittwe Central Jail and No. 1 police station. These individuals, who were trying to flee the increasing violence in Northern Arakan, were arrested after attempting to cross from Buthidaung to Sittwe without proper travel documentation, including National Registration Cards (NRC). The detainees, hailing from the townships of Buthidaung and Maungdaw, are now dependent on food sent by Rohingya families from Aung Min Galar ward, as per military orders.
The conscription and arrests have left many families in Sittwe and across Rakhine State in a state of fear and uncertainty, unsure of what lies ahead for their loved ones.
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