Myanmar’s military government has declared compulsory military service for all young men and women as it struggles to contain rebel groups fighting for greater autonomy in various parts of the country, state media reported.
Men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve for up to two years, while doctors and other professionals aged up to 45 must serve for three years. State media reported on Saturday that the service could be extended for a total of five years if the current state of emergency continues.
The junta has “notified the implementation of the People’s Militia Service Law from February 10, 2024,” the junta’s information team said in a statement.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government in a 2021 coup, sparking mass protests and a crackdown on opposition.
Three years on, the military government is struggling to quell widespread armed opposition to its rule. Since October, the Tatmadaw, as the military is known, has been fighting a coordinated attack by a coalition of three ethnic rebel groups, as well as allied pro-democracy fighters who have taken up arms against the junta. is suffering a loss.
According to military sources, all of whom requested anonymity, the success of the attack and the failure of the military’s counterattack led to low morale among junior and mid-ranking officers.
Analysts said the Tatmadaw was struggling to recruit soldiers and had begun forcing non-combat personnel to the front lines.
“Given the current situation in our country, a national military service system in which all citizens participate is essential,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said in an audio message released by his intelligence team.
A law mandating military conscription was introduced in 2010, but has not been enforced to date. Those who fail to comply with the bill will be sentenced to up to five years in prison, the bill states.
Saturday’s statement did not provide further details, but the junta’s Defense Ministry said it would “issue the necessary regulations, procedures, issuing orders, notifications and instructions.”
He did not go into details about what role the called-up players are expected to play.
More than 4,500 people have been killed and more than 26,000 arrested in the military’s crackdown on dissidents, according to local monitoring groups.
