The military recruitment team in Latha Township, Yangon Region, has announced that if Myanmar youth currently abroad cannot return for military service, their families must prepare a substitute from among their relatives to serve in their place. This announcement, which began in early March, requires the registration of young people aged 18 to 35 for military service. According to local residents in Latha Township, parents and relatives are being forced to sign registration documents on behalf of youth who are abroad, and they are being instructed to prepare a relative to serve as a substitute when their turn for military service comes.
The military recruitment team has suggested that families should preemptively select a substitute from either within their household or among relatives to avoid problems. They claim this approach is meant to be accommodating, but it effectively forces families to provide military recruits one way or another. The recruitment team has further stated that Myanmar youth currently abroad must return to the country at an appropriate time to serve in the military. Those who fail to comply will face consequences including the inability to renew their passports, potentially leaving them as illegal residents in foreign countries.
The military council is actively conducting forced recruitment drives throughout the country for their 11th military service batch. Reports indicate that young people are being arbitrarily arrested and conscripted into military service. This aggressive recruitment campaign reflects the military council’s desperate attempts to bolster their forces while facing widespread resistance from the Myanmar people. The practice of demanding family substitutes for those abroad represents another coercive tactic by the military council to pressure Myanmar citizens into military service, regardless of their current location or circumstances.
