Employees of military-linked companies to be exempted from conscription, sources say

Companies with military ties are reportedly making arrangements with Myanmar’s junta to ensure their staff are exempt from conscription into the army, Myanmar Now has learned. Heads of industrial zones in Yangon held an alleged recent meeting with the junta-appointed chief minister for the region, coming to an agreement that “important” employees from the sites would not be recruited into the military. A member of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) told Myanmar Now earlier this month that the military had demonstrated some flexibility towards these employers since announcing the reinforcement of the country’s dormant conscription law in February. “The chairpersons of the industrial zones said after the meeting that we shouldn’t be too worried about the conscription law and that it was negotiable and that there would be exemptions,” the individual said. The owner of a garment factory in an industrial zone commented that his workers were being picked up by the junta authorities during their arrival and departure from work and taken into custody for military service. “This is different from and worse than drawing a lottery for conscription,” the factory owner said, referring to the way in which names of eligible youth are selected at random to serve in the army. “[The military] is recruiting anyone they want. Several factory workers were abducted and recruited into the army before they even reached home from work.” Business owners have reportedly proposed providing the junta with identification documents of staff to prevent them from being targeted in such acts. Other known “crony companies,” including banks, are urging UMFCCI to submit pleas to the military council to protect their employees, the source within the federation said. A recent report by the Ayeyarwady Region-based Delta News Agency claimed that the military council had agreed to exclude staff members from select junta-linked companies after some 100 employees at Mytel—a telecommunications venture owned by the military—resigned after the enactment of the conscription law. Mytel allegedly issued a notice to its staff informing them that they would not be conscripted as long as they continued to work for the company following a negotiation between its leadership and the military council, Delta News Agency stated. Myanmar’s conscription law, which dates back to 2010, states that all men between the ages of 18 and 35 and women between the ages of 18 and 27 can be called on to serve in the military for two years, for a total of more than 13 million eligible people. Older specialists, such as doctors and engineers, can also be called up for service. If Myanmar is determined to be in a state of emergency—which it is, according to the junta—the period of conscription can be extended up to five years.

Employees of military-linked companies to be exempted from conscription, sources say

The companies, including those in industrial zones, are requesting that Myanmar’s military council refrain from forcing their staff into the army

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