The military junta has compelled  Muslim youths inRakhine State to join the  military service and the soldiers are providingarms training to them along with weapons.

The video clippings showing the process of providingmilitary training and distributing weapons to them are now circulating onsocial media.  

The residents informed Narinjara News that the junta wasarming Muslims and deploying them on the Rakhine frontline.

"The junta denies that the Muslims are being enlisted to join the militaryservice through their  media outlets including newspapers and televisionchannels. But contrary to their claims, Muslim youths are being recruited inthe military. A number of video clippings prove that the  Muslim youthsare undergoing training and also receiving weapons. Many of them are deployedin frontline areas," said a local resident.

 Currently,  Muslim youths from Sittwe, Buthidaungand Kyauk Ta Lone Muslim IDP camp in Kyaukphyu are being conscripted for theservice. The number of individuals involved in the process may reach up tothousands.

"Thus the military junta is preparing to defend their bases from theArakan Army (AA) fighters. The soldiers will use those Muslim youths as thehuman shields," added the resident.

A Rakhine political analyst commented that because ofthe junta’s tricks there emerge tensions between the Rakhine civilians andMuslims  and hence everyone needs to be careful.

"It should be noted that the junta isdeliberately escalating the enmities between the two communities in RakhineState,” added the political analyst.

The  junta after losing many battles is resortingto various conspiracies against the Rakhine people. They may want to escalatethe existing conflicts and troubles. Hence various religious and ethnicentities have been  opposing the junta's actions," the analystcontinued.

The junta is compelling the Muslims in Sittwe to pay Kyats  500,000 ifthey refuse to join the military service.

"Those who declined to join the military servicefaced the order to pay Kyats 200,000. Now the amount has been increased toKyats 500,000. As they cannot afford to pay the amount, many of them havejoined the service,” said a young man with close ties with the Muslims, addingthat thousands of Muslim youths are now being forced to join the militaryservice.