Myanmar youth look to flee conscription or join armed rebels fighting junta: ‘the army is losing control’

Myanmar’s military is aiming to recruit 5,000 able-bodied fighters every month from April under a conscription order observers say reveals it weakness

The move has spawned a rush for the exits, as young people say they ‘want to leave ASAP’ – or will join armed groups fighting the junta if they cannot

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Karenni Nationalities Defence Force fighters on patrol after attacking a junta base in Shadaw town, Karreni State. Photo: Khu Sam

Published: 5:00pm, 26 Feb 2024Updated: 5:26pm, 26 Feb 2024

A conscription order by Myanmar’s weakened junta has seeded dread among the nation’s youth, with many making plans to flee or join pro-democracy fighters to avoid being drafted into the loathed military.

Fighters from the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) have a simple message for compatriots who have so far not directly supported their resistance against the junta, but are now at risk of being pulled into the violent chaos that has engulfed the country since the 2021 coup.

“Join us,” John Paw, 27, of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), one of the largest PDFs in Myanmar that supports local ethnic armed groups, told This Week in Asia.

KNDF fighters sit atop a pickup truck as they return to their base in Karenni State following an anti-junta raid. Photo: Khu Sam

In a truck crammed with KNDF fighters returning along a dusty road from a recent raid on a military base in Shardaw town, Karenni State, John Paw laid out the challenges of restoring local governance and the economy in areas where the junta’s writ no longer extends.

“We have many needs, not just for the fighting in defence, but from agriculture to administration, we have so many things to build together and we need your help,” he said.

“That’s why I want to ask you to join our People Defence Forces.”

The junta’s February 10 order activated a 2010 conscription law, which had remained dormant on the statute book, requiring all healthy men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 37 to sign up for two years of military service.