Among the plethora of militias sponsored by the Military Council in Shan state, it has been reported that underage children are among the new recruits of the Jaryan militia near Jaryan Village, Mong Yaw Station, Lashio District, Northern Shan State.

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Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) spokesman Lt. Col. Tar Aik Kyaw told the Shan Herald that 20 children under the age of 18 were among those recruited into the Jaryan militia camp.

“The villagers started complaining that we Ta’ang people were forcefully taken to that Jaryan militia camp to become soldiers. We took them back with military force. There were about 20 underage children,” said TNLA spokesperson Lt. Col. Tar Aik Kyaw.

Among the evacuees, 112 men, 15 women, and a total of 127 people were rescued, including 20 youths under the age of 18.

Lt.Col ,Tar Aik Kyaw related, “When we were helping to release them,, there was an aerial bombardment from the Military Council. They also shot at us from their war- planes. There was no damage to our side. There was also no shooting with the Jaryan militia either.”

The evacuation took place at 4:00 a.m. on February 4. When the TNLA forces were evacuating the Ta’ang (Palaung) people who had been held captives were inside the Jaryan militia camp.

There were also reports that the TNLA had abducted local people as human shields, when they marched to evacuate the Ta’ ang people, but that was not true, according to Lt. Col. Tar Aik Kyaw.” We did not use any villagers in carrying out our mission,” said Tar Aik Kyaw.

The Jaryan militia camp is a unit of the Junta- backed Kaungkha militia (KDA) based in Kaungkha, Kutkai township, which is reportedly led by U Mahtu Naw, a former Brigadier General of the Shan state-based who deserted from the KIA’s Brigade 4. Jaryan village, home to the Jaryan Militia in Mong Yaw Station, has over 600 houses and is a community of Shan, Kachin and Ta’ ang people.