Members of the militia led by U Shwe Min are arresting and recruiting Lisu families in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, to fill their troop shortage.
The militia troops check all passers-by at the N-Lung Hka Bridge, where their base camp is in Aung Myay 1 village in Waingmaw, and arrest anyone who identifies themselves as Lisu, said a resident of Aung Myay 1.
“People are surprised by this situation. They also arrested many on Saturday. At this checkpoint, they first ask which ethnic group you belong to. If you say Lisu or Lhao Vo, they arrest you. They arrested a lot of people. If they see Lisu people in a car, they pull them out. They even arrest mothers. So it is very difficult to travel. They are also arresting people too,” she said.
According to locals, the militia has been carrying out intensive arrests at its N-Lung Hka checkpoint since 13 January , detaining around 30 people.
In addition, the militiamen go house-to-house forcibly recruiting residents in places such as Aung Myay 1, Wuyang and Sankar. The militiamen also arrested elderly people who rejected forced recruitment and went into hiding, the resident added.
“The arrests are not only at the N-Lung Hka checkpoint, they even go from house to house to arrest people. They have been very aggressive lately. If they don’t find eligible youths in the house they are raiding, they arrest the elderly people staying there and release them after forcing them to sign a pledge,” she explained.
Members of the militia led by U Shwe Min have been carrying out forced recruitment of locals in Waingmaw Township since the beginning of the year. They are currently very aggressive in arrests and recruitment.
The intensive forced recruitment by the militias came after most of their newly recruited soldiers deserted following armed clashes near Ta Law Gyi village. The desertion led to troop shortages, said a resident from Aung Myay 1.
“When the KIA troops entered the area near Ta Law Gyi, some recruits surrendered and some threw away their weapons in the creeks. When they were attacked near Baw Sar Dee village, the militia suffered a lot. Some of them were arrested by the KIA. That’s why some militiamen say they faced a sharp reduction of troops,” he said.
Therefore, the militias are trying to get deserted recruits and forcibly recruit people who are trying to avoid serving in their forces and are also arresting members of the Lisu tribe in Waingmaw.
Most of young and middle-aged Lisu people fled the township after the militia led by U Shwe Min announced the forced recruitment of one person per Lisu household in Waingmaw Township. The announcement is dated 30 October 2023, according to locals.
Regarding the arrests and conscription by the military council-allied Lisu militia, which have disrupted the peaceful lives of the Lisu, Lisu locals have called on the relevant officials to intervene and address the situation.
Sent by KNG.