Photo: Flowers of Hope
The Burmese Army in Shan State East has forcibly recruited children aged from 12 to 15 to its army cadet claiming it will improve education.
The Army continues to recruit despite international pressure to stop using child soldiers.
Burmese soldiers from both Mongpiang-based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #360, led by Captain Thein Aung, and Infantry Battalion (IB) # 43, led by Lieutenant Aung Naing, recruited many children from the township, said a local resident who wishes to remain anonymous.
A mother whose child was taken said: “I worry that my son will be sent to front line as the situation in the country is unstable. He is just 12 years old.”
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