Regime ramps up conscription as military ranks continue to deplete

By Admin 24 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
24 December 2024, Mrauk-U

Myanmar’s military junta announced on Monday that conscripts who have undergone military training are serving in respective battalions and units.

On Monday, the regime launched military training for a new batch of conscripts, the eighth since the first group was trained in April.

Facing a string of military defeats, the junta activated the Conscription Law on February 10, forcibly recruiting civilians and sending them to the frontlines. Military analysts note that a larger proportion of conscripts were dispatched to the Arakan front.

One military analyst said: “The junta forcibly took young people and sent them to the frontlines. Some trainees have fled during their training, and others stationed in Ayeyarwady have also fled to avoid being sent to Arakan State,” said a military analyst.

“Most conscripts are being sent to Arakan,” he added.

The junta has used many conscripts in battles in Arakan State’s Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Gwa townships.

It has also provided military training to thousands of Muslims in Sittwe Township. Some are being assigned to guard bunkers built near their villages while others are being sent to the frontline.’

A Muslim resident of Sittwe told DMG: “We don't want to serve in the regime’s army.  We have to pay them monthly to avoid being conscripted. Those who can’t afford to have to serve in the military. With the looming threat of clashes in Sittwe, we don’t know where to flee.”

The Irrawaddy, a media outlet in exile, reported that the regime is believed to have conscripted around 30,000 men since activating the Conscription Law in February.