Junta chief claims conscription law will help restore stability if implemented effectively

By Admin 28 Mar 2024

DMG Newsroom
28 March 2024, Sittwe

The national conscription law and reserve force law are intended to restore peace and stability in Myanmar; junta boss Min Aung Hlaing told a military parade on Wednesday to mark the 79th anniversary of Armed Forces Day.

“Implementing the two laws will help boost defence capability to a certain degree, and subsequently we will work step by step to do what it takes for peace and stability and rule of law of the country,” Min Aung Hlaing said.

The national conscription law was enforced on February 10, three days before the regime activated the Reserve Forces Law, which allows it to send veterans back to the front line.

Not all former military personnel will be recalled to active duty, said Min Aung Hlaing. “Only those who are really needed for the country will be recalled and assigned duties,” he said.

The main intention of the national conscription law is to safeguard Myanmar’s “Three Main National Causes,” Min Aung Hlaing added. It is all part of efforts to systematically implement a “people’s militia strategy,” said the junta boss.

“In implementing a people’s militia strategy for the peace and stability of the country, we must implement a systematic, mandatory military service that is in line with the law rather than forming [non-state] militia groups and local security groups,” Min Aung Hlaing said.

Since February, the regime has been registering eligible individuals to be drafted into the Myanmar military.

“The regime has been saying that it would do this and that for the country and the people.  It is only paying lip service. In reality, it is only working to retain its grip on power. As it is losing on every battlefield, it is forcibly conscripting civilians,” said a resident of Arakan State.

The regime has lost large swathes of territory to resistance forces in Arakan, Shan, Karen and Kachin states, and Sagaing Region.