Myanmar’s Draft Dodged by Thousands Amid Civil War Chaos

Myanmar’s military regime is facing growing resistance to its forced conscription programme, with thousands of young men and women fleeing the country or going underground to avoid being sent to war.

One year after the junta launched its conscription drive, an estimated 60,000 recruits have been drafted—many against their will. The policy, revived in early 2023 as the army struggled with battlefield losses and desertions, has triggered widespread fear, defiance, and a mass exodus of would-be conscripts.

Under the law, men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 can be forced into service. Those who refuse face up to five years in prison. Reports suggest some young people have been abducted from bus stops or coerced at gunpoint, while others, like 29-year-old teacher Aung, have fled the country entirely.

“I don’t want to be part of the killers,” Aung said from a safehouse in Thailand. “They are destroying the whole country.”

Analysts say the military is using conscripts as frontline fodder, often rushing them into combat with minimal training. Some draftees have been used as human shields or sent to dismantle explosives, leading to high casualties and further desertions.

Despite the surge in numbers, experts argue the draft has failed to shift momentum in a civil war that has raged since the 2021 coup. Rebel groups have captured key bases, and the military’s control may now extend to less than a quarter of the country, excluding major cities.

The draft has bought time for the regime, shoring up defences and allowing limited offensives. But it’s no solution to what analysts describe as a “historic weakness” in the military.

As pressure mounts from China for negotiations, some speculate the junta’s endgame may now be to hold ground until a ceasefire becomes viable.

In the meantime, those like Aung live in limbo — out of reach of the regime, but never out of danger. “If I’m forced back,” he said, “I know exactly what will happen. And I won’t survive it.”

-2025-04-12