Nearly 30 junta administrators resign in Rakhine State over conscription effort

More than two dozen junta-appointed administrators have resigned in Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township over the past week over regime efforts to force civilians into mandatory military service, according to local sources. On Wednesday, six administrators became the latest to submit resignation letters to the township’s general administration office, bringing the total in recent days to 27, the sources said. The officials decided to step down “because they feared for their lives,” said a local community leader who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity. Thandwe is one of the few townships in Rakhine State still firmly under junta control. It is known as the gateway to the state’s famed Ngapali beach, and is less than 100 miles south of Ramree, a town that was captured by the Arakan Army (AA) last week after months of fighting. The resignations come as two village administrators were shot dead in central Myanmar’s Magway and Mandalay regions this week for their role in efforts to impose a conscription law that the junta announced last month would soon come into effect. The regime has introduced a lottery system to pick recruits from urban wards and villages around the country. In many areas, however, residents have fled to avoid being sent to the front lines. “They couldn’t draw lots in some villages because the villagers ran away and the administrators couldn’t catch them,” said one Thandwe resident. Myanmar’s military has suffered heavy losses since the launch of Operation 27 in late October of last year. Initiated by the AA and its allies in northern Shan State, the anti-junta offensive later spread to Rakhine State, where fierce fighting continues despite a ceasefire in areas along the Chinese border. The AA currently controls nine townships in western Myanmar—Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Pauktaw, Myebon, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung in northern Rakhine State, Ramree in the southern part of the state, and Paletwa in southern Chin State. There are 14 million people in Myanmar eligible for conscription, according to the military council that seized power in a coup more than three years ago. The regime’s spokesperson said it aims to recruit a first batch of 5,000 new troops by next month. Anti-junta groups have denounced the move and warned local administrators not to comply with the regime’s orders. Statements released by ethnic armed groups warning junta administrators not to comply with efforts to recruit new troops (Supplied) On Tuesday, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an AA ally, issued a statement warning administrators in parts of northern Shan State still under regime control that they would face “serious action” if they helped the military recruit new troops. The Karen National Union, another ethnic armed group based in eastern Myanmar, issued a similar statement on the same day.

Nearly 30 junta administrators resign in Rakhine State over conscription effort

The resignations come as anti-regime groups issue warnings to officials not to comply with the military’s efforts to forcibly recruit new troops

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