Dhaka: Burmese Army officers have forcibly recruited Khami tribal youths, especially from Pelatwa and Buthidaung Township on the western Burma border to serve in the army, said Aung Soe a Khami youth in the area.

“Officers of the Burmese Army LIB 55 and 289 have recruited our youths in the border area with the help of some Khami leaders who  favour the junta. Some Khami youths have joined the army while some have fled from the areas to evade recruitment,” Aung said.

Khami is an ethnic nationality of Burma and most Khami people live in Arakan state and southern Chin State.

“Most of our youths are unable to speak the Burmese language fluently yet the army recruited them. The Burmese Army needs more youths to serve in the armed forces, so they have recruited young men no matter who they are,” Aung said.

Army officials provide some assistance like rice and money to the family after recruiting the youths.

“Two bags of rice and 10,000 Kyats have been given by army officials to the families whose youth joined the Burmese Army,” Aung said.

The Burmese Army has recently shown a downward trend in the number of youths joining the forces in the two western provinces after many youths in Arakan and Chin went in search of jobs in Thailand and Malaysia illegally.

“Most of our youths were engaged in mountain cultivation with the family before but they are now leaving for neighbouring countries like Thailand, Malaysia and India as well as Bangladesh looking for jobs. There are good jobs available for our young people,” Aung said.

The junta has disallowed mountain cultivation in the western parts of Burma to prevent deforestation. Because of this many Khami young people became jobless and later left for neighbouring countries. The rest of the youths in the area have been forced to join the army.

The recruitment of Khami youths into the army started this year and local army officials are carrying out the plan in keeping with the directives of senior Burmese Army officials from the western command based in Ann.