According to Ko Thet Tun Oo from the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM), the military is forcing criminal inmates from Banmaw and Myitkyina prisons in Kachin State to take up arms and engage in combat. As the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and revolutionary forces continue their offensive operations in Kachin State, the military has been arming long-term criminal inmates from these prisons, forcing them to serve as prison security guards and fight against revolutionary forces attacking the military.
The military is systematically forcing prisoners across the country’s prisons to take up arms and fight against revolutionary forces. Particularly in prisons located in conflict zones, criminal inmates are being armed for prison defense and ordered to fight alongside soldiers when revolutionary forces attack. This practice has been especially prevalent since 2023, with the military recruiting former soldiers and police officers imprisoned for disciplinary violations by offering them reinstatement of their former ranks and reduced sentences in exchange for participating in combat operations. Similarly, long-term criminal inmates are being offered sentence reductions for participating in military operations. Through these methods, the military is attempting to supplement its diminishing forces.
The PPNM has expressed strong opposition to these illegal practices of forced military service among prisoners and the reinstatement of imprisoned military and police personnel through sentence amnesty in exchange for military service. The situation has become particularly concerning in 2025, with documented cases of armed prisoners being used in actual combat situations, resulting in casualties on both sides. The practice not only puts the prisoners’ lives at risk but also creates additional dangers for revolutionary forces who must face these armed inmates during operations. While prisoners are often reluctant to fight back against revolutionary forces due to the military’s close supervision, the situation remains extremely dangerous for all prisoners, including political prisoners, in facilities across the country.
