Rebel Offensive Crisis... Myanmar Military Also Enforces Forced Conscription of Women

After Forced Execution, Young Generation's Exodus Abroad
Expansion of Conscription Targets

The Myanmar military regime, pushed into a crisis by rebel offensives, has begun forcibly conscripting women following men.

According to local media such as Myanmar Now and The Irrawaddy on the 16th, the military government recently started forced conscription of women in some areas including Ayeyarwady and Bago.

Photo by Yonhap News

The military government is hastily constructing barracks for female recruits' training at a military school in Pathein, the capital of Ayeyarwady Region. In some villages, women have already been conscripted and transferred to units, reportedly beginning basic military training.

A resident said, "The military is selecting women for conscription," adding, "If they do not want to serve, they must either pay a bribe or find someone to serve in their place."

Sources report that the military is also identifying female conscription candidates in Tanintharyi Region. As men flee their hometowns to avoid conscription, lists of women are being compiled.

In February, the military government announced the enforcement of a conscription law mandating two years of military service for men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27, and began forced conscription at the end of March. Initially, only men were drafted, but due to manpower shortages, they have now begun conscripting regardless of gender.

Since the implementation of forced conscription, many young people have sought employment abroad or fled across borders to countries like Thailand. As citizens continued to escape, the military government suspended overseas employment permit procedures.

A resident of the Mergui area said, "Many young people have already left their villages to avoid forced conscription by the military," adding, "Most have fled to Thailand."

The military, which seized power in the February 2021 coup, is currently facing its greatest crisis amid rebel offensives. The 'Brother Alliance,' composed of ethnic armed groups including the Arakan Army (AA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), launched a joint attack in northeastern Shan State on October 27 last year, intensifying the civil war. The military government has lost key border towns connecting to China, India, and Bangladesh to the rebels and is now threatened even in the capital, Naypyidaw.