Border News Agency
Mrauk-U, October 29.
The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) returned two underage youths who had arrived to enlist in the Arakan Army to their families on October 28.
The two youths were Maung Soe Min Ko, aged 14, and Maung Kyaw Lin Tun, aged 16, both from Chaung Thit Village in Mrauk-U Township.
Although the two had arrived to enlist for military service, officials screened them and determined that they were underage. As a result, they were not permitted to enlist and were returned to their families.
The Arakan Army stated that it does not accept underage children, people in poor health, or students for military service.
It also stated that it does not recruit child soldiers and complies with the provisions of the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
