First batch of military conscripts in Myanmar complete mandated two-years of service

A ceremony was held in the Karenni State capital Loikaw on April 3 for the first 385 male conscripts, aged 18 to 35, drafted into military service upon the completion of their mandated two-years under the conscription law, which was enforced on Feb. 10, 2024.

Zin Yaw, a former captain in the Myanmar military who defected to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) following the 2021 military coup, told DVB that the military may release some conscripts while retaining others as full-time soldiers.

“We need to monitor their releases,” he said. Training for the first batch of military conscripts began across Myanmar on April 8, 2024, according to the regime.

The ceremony in Loikaw on April 3 is the first reported instance of conscripts completing their two-years of military service. Nationwide conscription has now reached its 23rd round with the 21st round of conscripts reported to have completed training earlier this month, according to the regime.

A source in Yangon who assists conscripts to evade military service told DVB that none of the males aged 18 to 35 who were conscripted have returned to their family homes.

“Families are still hoping for the return of their sons and brothers,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity.

He estimates that half of all conscripts are believed to have died on the frontline in battle against resistance groups, while the other half remain in military service.

The regime in Naypyidaw has not disclosed the total number of conscripts it has drafted into military service. 

The Myanmar Defense & Security Institute (MDSI), a group of former military personnel who defected to join the CDM, estimated in March that the number of conscripts had reached nearly 100,000.

The regime said those who have completed training are now serving in military units nationwide, fulfilling what it described as their “responsibilities for national defence and security.”

Former regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told BBC Burmese in 2024 that around 5,000 trainees would be recruited per intake, but the total number of conscripts in each intake has not been publicly disclosed.

The conscription law stipulates that males aged 18-35 and females aged 18-27 are subject to military service for at least two years. Professionals such as doctors and engineers are required to serve until the age of 45 for men and 35 for women.

Officially known as the “People’s Military Service Law,” conscription was enacted in 2010 under former military ruler Than Shwe.