There were no reports of mistaken recruitment of underage soldiers by the army during the third-year tenure of the government, said Brig-Gen Aung Kyaw Hoe, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence.
The Ministry of Defence held a press conference on the undertakings of the Ministry of Defence during the third-year tenure of the government, at the Ministry of Information in Nay Pyi Taw on May 27.
The ministry handed over 107 underage soldiers to their parents—75 in 2018 and 32 in March, 2019. During third-year tenure, the ministry scrutinized 1,636 soldiers using orthopedic X-ray so as to avoid the erroneous recruitments of under 18 soldiers.
The ministry opens the multiplier courses to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers, at relevant region military commands, every two months. During the third-year tenure, the ministry educated 76,830 officers and other ranks, he added.
Myanmar army has stepped its efforts to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and fully cooperates with the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR), for the removal of Myanmar from the list of the countries with child soldiers, he continued.
