Hundreds of Myanmar soldiers demoted or jailed

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – The Myanmar military said on Monday that it had taken action against more than 400 troops for the use and recruitment of child soldiers.

This development comes as the United States is expected to remove Myanmar from a list of countries most known for using child soldiers.

The army-run Myawaddy newspaper reported on Monday that 439 soldiers, including 87 officers, had been demoted or sent to jail under the rules and regulations put in place since a 2012 agreement with the UN to stop using child soldiers.

The statement came after media reports Saturday said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was considering the removal of Myanmar and Iraq from a list of the world's worst offenders in the use of child soldiers.

The military released 67 child soldiers on Friday.