Auxiliary fire officer turns home into detention cell, arrests and sells young people

Reserve Fire Officer Turns Home into Detention Center, Arresting and Selling Young Men

September 1

On August 25 at approximately 4 p.m., police under the military junta raided the home of a reserve fire officer in Danyinkone Ward, Insein Township, Yangon Region, and discovered four young men being illegally detained for sale into military conscription, sources said.

The house, located in a squatter settlement behind the old cemetery and Danyinkone brick factory in Danyinkone Ward, Insein Township, was reportedly built with rooms designed as detention cells, where the four young men were found handcuffed and held captive.

"The fire officer has been running this trafficking operation for a long time, and he was recently promoted. Since his superiors favor him, the local police know about it but don't dare speak up. Now that disappearances are increasing in Yangon and people are profiting from conscription-related schemes, this crackdown probably happened," a local resident told the outlet.

The individuals holding the young men are reportedly U Thein Oo (a) Nge Lay, a three-star rank member of the reserve fire brigade in Danyinkone Ward, Insein Township, and his son-in-law Ko Than Soe. Three young men were found handcuffed in the back rooms of the house, and one was locked in a detention cell, totaling four found, sources said.

"I think the search was related to a missing footballer from the other day. This business of arresting and selling people has been going on for a long time. They mainly target people coming into town at bus terminals, detain them under the guise of working with the junta, and then sell them to those seeking substitutes for military service. If no buyer comes forward after a conscription cycle, they connect with military recruitment units and army officers to resell at lower prices. This market has been operating in major cities for a long time," another local resident added.

Similarly, in Tachileik, eastern Shan State, on the early morning of August 30, police from the Honglaet area arrested three individuals who had handcuffed and beaten two young men, claiming to be military personnel, before loading them into a car trunk, sources said.