Mizzima

Disturbing accounts from defectors in Myanmar have revealed that conscripts attempting to flee military service in Naypyidaw are being forcibly tattooed on their faces to mark them as deserters.

In footage released by the Arakan Army (AA) on 11 April, two young men described how soldiers branded recaptured conscripts with unit names and the word “deserter” across their foreheads and cheeks. One defector from Light Infantry Battalion 366 explained that the tattoos made it impossible to return home or blend into civilian life, ensuring deserters could be easily identified and sent back to the front lines.

Another conscript from Light Infantry Battalion 362 recounted being framed with drug charges to coerce him into service. He said methamphetamine tablets were planted in his bag before he was offered a choice between prison or joining the army. After being beaten, he agreed to enlist.

The practice comes in the wake of Myanmar’s People’s Military Service Law, introduced in February 2024 by former Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. Since then, thousands of young men have been drafted, with up to 21 training batches completed. Official figures suggest around 5,000 recruits per batch, highlighting the scale of enforced conscription.

These testimonies shed light on the increasingly harsh measures used to maintain troop numbers amid widespread resistance to military service. Branding deserters with tattoos not only strips them of anonymity but also imposes a permanent stigma, cutting them off from civilian society.

As Myanmar’s military struggles to sustain its ranks, such revelations are likely to intensify condemnation of its recruitment practices and fuel anger among communities already scarred by years of conflict. The plight of conscripts caught between coercion and combat is now more visible than ever.

-2026-04-15

Clever move. So after they complete their service the tattoos will be removed?

On 4/15/2026 at 9:33 AM, geovalin said:

President Min Aung Hlaing and his Generals and cronies in the Burmese Parliament, should have their faces tattooed to show they are TRAITORS!

4 hours ago, Purdey said:

Clever move. So after they complete their service the tattoos will be removed?

Why remove tattoos from corpses?

I don't think any of these press ganged kids'll see an 'end of service'. 'End of service' will be death or incapacitating mutilation.