Porters forcibly recruited by land and water in Pyay as 28th conscription batch still needs more men

In Pyay, Bago Region, authorities are conducting intensive portage conscription raids for military service batch 28 on both land and water routes. The Pyay-Paungdaung-Okshipin main road has become deserted, with no travelers passing through as before, according to reports.

Starting August 16, at the Pyay-Kanma junction in Bago Region, portage conscription raids have been conducted from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM. After 9:00 AM, checks are carried out around the truck terminal, and from 11:00 AM onwards, boats and motorized vessels traveling by water are being pursued and inspected for portage conscription, according to sources.

"In Pyay, they're conscripting on both water and land routes. They're doing it relentlessly day after day. Before, the Okshipin-Pyay main road was always busy with non-stop traffic. Now, cars and motorcycles have virtually disappeared—it's completely silent. Previously, there was a constant stream of vehicles. Now they're grabbing anyone they can find, even drivers if no one else is available, so people don't dare travel anymore—the road is empty," a local resident said.

In Pyay, the military junta is conducting portage conscription raids with multiple teams. Since the deadline for providing personnel for military service is August 25, they are even pursuing water travelers with motorboats. So far, only about 20 people have been captured, according to reports.

"They've only gotten about 20 people this month. At the motorboat jetty departing from Pyay-Kanma, they've stationed informants. If young men are spotted on a motorboat, they come to arrest them. If they can't catch up in time, they chase after them with motorboats. There's also a waterway checkpoint at Kyawthu," a local resident said.

Currently, young people in Pyay dare not leave their homes, and junta-affiliated groups are conscripting any male they encounter. As a result, passenger buses are now hiring female conductors instead of male ones, according to reports.