Paletwa residents flee after AA implements mandatory military conscription
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Htet Nadi/ Thuta Kyaw (NP News) - Dec 17
A Paletwa resident told The Statesman that hundreds of Paletwa residents are fleeing after the AA called up compulsory military service, provided 45 days of military training, and sent them to the front lines.
After the AA took control of the Paletwa region, it was reported that the Rakhine ethnic groups in the region were first conscripted for compulsory military service, and subsequently the Chin ethnic groups were also being conscripted, prompting those unwilling to join and their families to flee to the Indian state of Mizoram.
“This is the second batch in Paletwa. The first batch has received military training. At that time, they were Rakhine people. Now, they are planning to train the Chin ethnic group,” said a Paletwa resident.
He said that the AA is planning to call up those eligible for military service after conducting a census of residents in the Paletwa region. Although the call-up has not been officially made, locals are already avoiding the area.
“Chin people are fleeing. So are Rakhine people. The main thing is that they have to go to the front line. Most of them were trained for 45 days. Locals also underwent 45 days of military training. Then they were dropped off in the city. Now it’s not like that. They are now being deployed in places where there is fighting, such as the Indian border. The first batch members and groups from other places have such problems, so their parents and those who will join are worried,” he said.
He said that the reason why the Chin people, including other ethnic groups, were summoned was because manpower was needed, rather than them being called out of trust.
"It's not that they believe these people. They won't send them to important areas. New recruits might be deployed on the offensive side," said the Paletwa resident.
Another Chin ethnic group said that most people fleeing the AA army are heading for India due to the difficulties in transportation and the high cost of travel to the mainland.
“They say that it costs a family about 15 million kyats to relocate from Paletwa to Yangon, even during the early days of the AA's control. Let’s say they rent a boat from Paletwa to a village. The boat would cost one million kyats. They carry all their belongings, and each package costs 50,000 kyats, so the total cost would be more than 10 to 15 million kyats. It’s impossible to go down to the mainland. That’s why I heard they fled to the Mizo side,” he said.