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HomeBreakingNaypyidaw issues stricter military conscription regulations nearly one year after law enacted

Naypyidaw issues stricter military conscription regulations nearly one year after law enacted

The regime in Naypyidaw, which seized power after the 2021 military coup, issued stricter regulations for its military conscription law on Thursday, nearly one year after the law was enacted on Feb. 10, 2024.

It has ordered those selected for military conscription, who have passed medical examinations and are on waiting lists to attend training, to be barred from leaving the country without prior authorization. 

It also states that civil servants will be subject to military service and will either receive their current salaries, or one based on their new military roles.

And those who have previously completed their military service, may be recalled to the frontline if deemed necessary by the regime. 

Myanmar citizens living abroad are not exempt. Those eligible for conscription must register for military conscription through their family household lists. If they are absent, their families must provide “solid evidence” explaining their location and the reason for their absence. 

Failure to present “credible evidence” will be considered “a deliberate attempt to avoid public duty” and face legal action. Military service education is to be integrated into the national school curriculum.

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

The standard term of service is at least two years, but the law states that this could be extended up to five years during “emergencies.”

Myanmar has been under a state of emergency since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021,

The first batch of military conscripts began training last April. To date, nine intakes of conscripts have received training. Women have not yet faced conscription for military training.

Regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said last February that the military expected 5,000 new conscripts from each intake. The Burma Affairs and Conflict Studies (BACS) stated that over 21,000 conscripts from intakes 1-6 have received training at 23 military schools nationwide.

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