The military council is currently pressuring parents across townships in Yangon Region to recall their children aged 18-35 who are abroad for mandatory military service. According to parents from Thaketa, Mayangone, and Insein townships, military recruitment teams have been summoning relatives through township administrative offices since late February and early March, instructing them to mandatorily register young people for military service under the People’s Military Service Law.
Under the military council’s directives, youth currently abroad must return to Myanmar for military service when their turn comes. The township administration and military have been forcing family members to sign acknowledgments stating that if their children abroad do not return when called for service, another male family member must serve as a replacement. Furthermore, the authorities are threatening that if anyone fails to report for military service when their turn comes, family members will face imprisonment under the People’s Military Service Law. Those who evade service will face legal prosecution, and those who flee will be declared fugitives for life.
After completing recruitment batches 1 through 10, the number of youth available for military service in Yangon Region’s townships and wards has become extremely low, according to sources close to township military recruitment teams. This has led the military council to intensify efforts to forcibly recall those who are abroad. While the council is attempting to pressure parents through threats and coercion to bring their children back, most youth are reportedly refusing to return. The military council’s aggressive recruitment tactics, including threatening families and forcing them to sign commitments, reflect their desperate attempts to address their personnel shortages through coercive measures against civilians.
