Myo Thein
Feb 26, 2026
Two workers from the Golden Maple Leaf Myanmar Co., Ltd garment factory were reportedly conscripted for military service simultaneously during working hours, workers told the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM). The incident occurred while they had gone to a nearby village adjacent to the Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone to have a meal.
“On February 18, while the factory was operating night overtime, they were forcibly taken for military service. Since it was during working hours, they did not go willingly. It happened while they were going to Alal Ywar village for dinner,” IWFM officials said.
A worker said that machine repair staff, security personnel, and sewing workers were working overtime that night. The trip between the factory and Alal Ywar village takes about half an hour round trip. Both workers failed to return to the workplace that night, workers said.
“One of them was factory security from a security company, and the other was a machine repair worker. At first, we thought the repair worker had gone home because he did not want to work overtime. It was only the next day, that we learned he had been taken for military service when his parents came to the factory,” workers said.
Workers said the factory had not issued employee identification cards, which contributed to the forced recruitment.
“We only found out the two workers had been taken when their parents came and told us. The factory has not issued employee ID cards. It only knows how to call workers for overtime. Now that the military has taken them, who will take responsibility?” workers said.
Witnesses said forced recruitment has been occurring continuously in industrial zones in Hlaing Tharyar, Shwepyithar, and Insein townships. Overtime workers and even family members who come to pick them up have reportedly been targeted.
“They are waiting for the overtime hours. In Wataya, four men in a car assaulted him and took him away when a female worker’s husband came to pick her up. In Hlaing Tharyar, a man on his way to work early in the morning was covered with a cloth and taken away in a car. Later, 70 million kyats had to be paid to secure his release. The factory does nothing whenever something happens,” a witness said.
Golden Maple Leaf Myanmar Co., Ltd is located on Saya San Road, Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone, Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon, and is owned by Chinese citizen. The factory employs more than 150 workers and currently manufactures the Rolywrk and Lvcunv brands.
