29 March 2026 – State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) troops intensified patrols, erected roadblocks, and conducted searches across Kalay town on 28 March, with local residents reporting multiple arrests of young people believed to be targeted for forced military conscription.
The operations began in the afternoon of 28 March. Witnesses reported detentions as early as around 2:00 pm near the Min Gyi (Hotel Majesty) Hotel area and in front of the Three Stars area on Bogyoke Road. One arrest was also documented around 3:30 pm in front of Kalay General Hospital.
Later, at approximately 3:00 pm, three SSPC military vehicles were observed leaving the Kalay District Combined Office and heading south along the Nat Chaung main road while continuing patrols.
Local news sources have urged residents to exercise extreme caution when moving around the town and to avoid areas with heightened military activity.
Kalay (also spelled Kale), a strategic town in Sagaing Region near the border with Chin State, has been a repeated target for SSPC conscription operations.
Since the military introduced the People’s Military Service Law in February 2024, SSPC forces — the junta’s restructured governing body that replaced the State Administration Council in 2025 — have stepped up efforts to recruit young men to replenish depleted ranks amid heavy battlefield losses and desertions.
Reports of arbitrary arrests of youths on streets, near hospitals, hotels, and checkpoints have become common in Kalay and other parts of Sagaing Region. Similar incidents have been documented in previous months, with young men often taken directly for military training with minimal or no notice to families.
Sagaing remains one of the most active resistance fronts against the junta, with strong People’s Defence Force (PDF) activity and occasional coordination with Chinland Defence Forces. The town also serves as a key logistical base for Myanmar military junta’s operations toward Chin State, including recent reinforcement movements and clashes along routes to Falam.
The intensified conscription drive has contributed to widespread fear, internal displacement, and outward migration among young people across Myanmar. Human rights groups have repeatedly criticised the junta’s tactics, which include street abductions, home raids, and the use of checkpoints to meet recruitment quotas.
This latest operation in Kalay reflects the ongoing pressure on junta-controlled urban pockets in resistance-strong regions, where SSPC forces maintain a presence but face constant challenges to their authority. – Reporting by Daniel
