(Reuters) – Myanmar’s military leadership plans to implement mandatory conscription of young people starting in April, and also requires retired security personnel to return to service, as the army struggles to suppress an anti-junta insurgency. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military seized power from an elected government in a 2021 coup, and the decision to call up more individuals to fight indicates that the military is under increasing pressure.
Last Saturday, Myanmar’s junta announced that a law governing mandatory military service would be enforced for men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 for up to two years. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that this implementation would begin in April. Zaw Min Tun, a junta spokesperson, told BBC Burmese, “We are working to implement the conscription after the new year holiday in April.” He mentioned that medical checks will be conducted and each intake would consist of about 5,000 individuals.
Zaw Min Tun did not respond to a phone call seeking comment, but state media MRTV cited him as saying that retired members of the security forces who had left within the past five years would have to return to the army. However, he did not specify the number of individuals who would be called up or the exact timing, but mentioned that it would only include those “who were necessary.” A law mandating conscription was introduced in 2010 but had not been enforced. Those who fail to comply with the draft face up to five years in prison, according to the legislation. The junta has not disclosed details about the military’s strength, but analysts and a Southeast Asia diplomat have said that it faces challenges in recruiting soldiers and has resorted to deploying non-combat personnel to the frontline.
Since October, the Tatmadaw, as the military is known, has suffered personnel losses while battling a coordinated offensive by an alliance of three ethnic-minority insurgent groups, allied with pro-democracy fighters. The plans to call up more ordinary citizens are prompting some to consider fleeing the conflict-torn country, as seen in media reports and social media posts. “It is really bad for our generation,” said a 27-year-old company worker in Yangon who was trying to leave and declined to be named due to concerns about being targeted by authorities. (Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by Ed Davies, Stephen Coates and Neil Fullick)
