As conscription looms, Myanmar’s young are forced to choose—flight or fight?

Two weeks after Myanmar’s military junta announced plans to begin forcing young people to join its army’s depleted ranks, many are growing increasingly desperate to find some way to avoid this fate ahead of a recruitment drive expected to begin in April. The regime says that under the 2010 People's Military Service Law, as many as 14 million Myanmar nationals are eligible for the draft. Most would be required to provide two years of military service—or up to five years in the event of a “national emergency.” While women—who make up more than half of this figure—will not be called up anytime soon, according to junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun, the announcement has alarmed everyone of draft age, as well as their families. Thet Thet, a resident of Yangon’s Thaketa Township, said she has already begun looking for ways to get her 21-year-old younger brother out of the country. “I have no option but to find some way to send him to Dubai, where he can get a blue-collar job,” she said, adding that rumours of soldiers detaining young men and forcing them to join the army have already begun circulating in her neighbourhood. But in addition to the expense—Thet Thet said that sending her brother abroad would likely exhaust her modest savings as an office worker—there are also other reasons this route may not be open to all. Visa applicants stand outside the Thai embassy in Yangon (Min Thu Rain) Getting a passport has been difficult since the military seized power three years ago, and the enormous demand fuelled by the conscription announcement has made it even more challenging. This was amply illustrated last week, when two women were trampled to death as thousands of people rushed to submit their applications to a passport office in Mandalay. Popular destinations such as neighbouring Thailand have also been overwhelmed by the dramatic surge in would-be visitors. The Thai embassy in Yangon has responded by imposing a limit of 400 visa applicants per day. For some, other measures have to suffice, at least for now. One man—a father of two teenaged children who will soon be old enough to be pressed into service—said he enrolled them both in a distance education program at a regime-controlled university without their consent just to buy them some time. “As a parent, I had no choice,” he said. “But the best thing for them will be to leave the country, sooner rather than later.” Family members are not the only ones panicked by the regime’s sudden decision to start turning civilians into involuntary soldiers. Employers are also scrambling to deal with the situation. “This is a really abrupt change. It has a huge impact on all of us. I need to bring all of my co-workers and employees to Cambodia to continue my business,” said a young entrepreneur who did not want to be named. Some who were already planning to go abroad for work say they are also facing greater uncertainty. “I hear there may be new restrictions on people leaving the country. I don’t know if it’s true, but it seems pretty likely,” said Ko Arkar, a resident of Bago Region who has a job lined up in South Korea. Adding fuel to the revolution The other option that many are considering is to accept fate and enter the conflict—but not on the side of Myanmar’s military. “I could never enlist in the regime’s army. It would feel like a betrayal,” said Theingi, a 20-year-old resident of Mandalay. “I’ll join the PDF before I ever fight for this junta,” she added, referring to the People’s Defence Force established by the shadow National Unity Government (NUG). Some armed groups say they saw a spike in interest from young people wanting to join their ranks within days of the conscription announcement. One group, the Sagaing-based Burma Liberation Democratic Front, claimed that it received more than 200 calls from would-be recruits on February 12, just two days after the regime said it was going to implement the military service law. “We extend a warm welcome to everyone who wants to defy the regime, regardless of whether they join late or early,” a representative of the group said. The NUG’s Yangon Region Military Command reported that within the first 48 hours after the announcement, it was so overwhelmed by requests to join that it was forced to temporarily suspend its recruitment process. Since then, it has resumed its efforts to accept those willing and ready to join the fight that began three years ago. “Injustice is right on your doorstep now. Let’s confront it together with courage. We urge you to join us, to defy the military regime,” a representative of the Yangon Region Military Command said. A representative of the Sagaing PDF, which is also under the command of the NUG, said the conscription law had awakened the “revolutionary spirit” of young people. PDF troops from the NUG’s Southern Regional Military Command are seen in early 2023 (Myanmar Now) “Bars and clubs have been thriving in urban areas, while gambling is rampant in the countryside. And there has been no crackdown on illegal drugs,” he said, describing how social conditions have deteriorated under the regime, to the detriment of young people. “Now those who may have been unaware of the reality of what it means to live under military rule have suddenly been awakened to this reality by the enforcement of the conscription law,” he said. But while he, too, welcomed the sudden interest that many have shown in joining the resistance, he urged those considering the move to base their decision on a commitment to overthrowing the regime, rather than just a desire to avoid being drafted. A former military officer who defected from the junta’s army said that the conscription law could prove to be a major windfall for the resistance forces, but only if they are prepared to take full advantage of the situation. “They [resistance forces] need to have everything set up and ready. They need to have a system in place to provide military training for the newcomers,” he said. For those who can neither flee the country nor join the resistance, the junta’s noose is likely to tighten in the coming months. But even they can still try to find a way out if the regime comes knocking on their door, according to a veteran politician who has seen previous generations face similar dilemmas. “Just find some means of escape if they come to take you away. And if they do get you [to join the military], turn your gun on them when you have a chance,” he said.

As conscription looms, Myanmar’s young are forced to choose—flight or fight?

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