Sex, drugs and scamsCurrent junta chief Min Aung Hlaing made a name for himself in 2009 when, as a regional commander, he expelled the MNDAA from the Laukkai.The army then installed a militia that enriched itself by producing drugs and selling gambling and sex to visitors from across the Chinese border.Laukkai later became notorious for online scam operations in which thousands of Chinese and other foreign nationals—many of them trafficked and working under duress—defrauded their compatriots over the internet.A source close to the MNDAA recently told AFP that the group was working to install a new administration in the town, without giving details.The alliance’s successes have galvanised so-called People’s Defence Forces—dedicated to reversing the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government—to launch attacks of their own across the country.Analysts say the onslaught has put the embattled junta in its most vulnerable position since it seized power.This month, it announced it would begin conscripting young men and women into its ranks due to the “current situation.”No details have been given about how those called up would be expected to serve, but many young people are not keen to wait and find out.Last week, local media images showed hundreds of people queueing outside the passport office in Mandalay.And in the commercial hub of Yangon, thousands of young men and women queued outside the Thai embassy seeking visas to get out of Myanmar last week.
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