Myanmar denies drafting women into army

Myanmar’s military regime has rejected claims that women are being conscripted under the country’s controversial service law, despite reports from defectors pointing to secret training programmes.

Spokesperson Khaing Khaing Soe dismissed the allegations as “false news” in a statement on Tuesday, insisting that female training courses are voluntary and separate from the conscription framework. The People’s Military Service Law, first enacted in 2010 and enforced since February 2024, requires men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve. Yet the regime has never publicly admitted drafting women.

Conflicting accounts have emerged from the Myanmar Defence and Security Institute (MDSI), a network of former soldiers who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. Citing sources inside a military facility in Hmawbi Township, Yangon Region, MDSI reported that a new batch of female conscripts began training on 10 August, many of them factory workers allegedly rounded up from industrial zones. The group claims this follows a pattern of secrecy, with similar reports surfacing last year.

Since enforcement began in April 2024, conscription has overwhelmingly targeted young men. According to defectors, around 135,000 male recruits have been drafted across 27 intakes, with coercive tactics including night raids, checkpoint arrests and household searches. Officials have confirmed that lists of draft evaders are distributed to security forces for immediate detention.

International criticism has been mounting. In May, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights condemned the campaign, warning that the regime is “stealing a generation” of Myanmar youth to sustain its military operations.

The government’s denial of female conscription highlights the growing gulf between official statements and reports from defectors. With secrecy surrounding recruitment practices and mounting pressure on the military, questions remain over how far the regime will go to replenish its ranks — and at what cost to Myanmar’s young population.

-2026-08-13