As Myanmar’s military moves to enforce conscription, the young consider their options

Young people in Myanmar are reacting with dismay after the country’s military junta announced over the weekend that it will begin enforcing a more than decade-old conscription law. The move, which comes as the military continues to suffer heavy losses to an array of armed groups more than three years after seizing power, would compel all men aged 18 to 35 and all women aged 18 to 27 to serve in the armed forces for at least two years. That is based on a law enacted by a previous regime in 2010, which also requires doctors up to the age of 45 and other “specialists” to serve for three years, according to an announcement broadcast on state-run TV on Saturday. At a press briefing the following day, junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun slammed other media outlets for “instilling fear” in the public regarding the law, accusing them of trying to “destroy the love of the people for the country.” He also claimed that the move would put Myanmar back on the road to democracy by creating conditions conducive to holding elections. “In order to hold elections, we need to have stability. We have to build it. So everyone needs to take part in it,” he said, adding that “terrorists” opposed to the regime seek to establish a system governed by warlords. But few young people who heard the announcement seemed interested in heeding his call. “It was very disturbing to hear this news,” said a 28-year-old teacher who quit his job at a public school following the February 2021 coup that overthrew Myanmar’s elected civilian government. “I feel like there’s no escape now. No matter which way you turn, you can’t get away. I feel like we’re all trapped by this,” he said. Another man in his late 20s also said that the move put him in a tight spot, and has him considering leaving the country to join his wife, who works abroad. He said that what the military likely has in mind is to use new conscripts as porters—or as human shields. He added that it would probably also try to use the law to extort money from civilians, as it struggles to finance its war amid the loss of major revenue sources such as border trade with China and other neighbouring countries. “It’s really scary. They’re trying to force us to kill each other,” he said, adding that many of his friends are already talking about leaving the country as soon as they can. For others, the prospect of being forced to fight for the junta is simply unthinkable. “If we’re going to be sent to our deaths anyway, I would rather die fighting for the PDF,” said a 26-year-old woman studying in Naypyitaw, referring to the anti-regime People’s Defence Force. This sentiment was echoed by others, including the teacher who until now has avoided taking up arms against the regime, unlike countless other young people around the country. “If we have no other option, we will join [the PDF] and kill them all,” he said.

As Myanmar’s military moves to enforce conscription, the young consider their options

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