In Paung Township, Mon State, the military junta has been arresting young people who violate local orders, such as failing to follow curfews or riding motorcycles together, and forcing them to attend military training. These actions are part of an ongoing campaign to replenish military personnel amid a decreasing number of volunteers for service.
On November 19, 2024, over 20 youths were detained by the military junta’s forces for violating local orders. These youths, aged between 18 and 25, are being conscripted for military service, while others, including minors and those with medical conditions, are reportedly released after paying bribes.
One local resident from Paung Township said, “There are no volunteers for the army, so the junta is arresting youths who break curfew or violate other orders, like two men riding motorcycles together, and forcing them into military service. Over 10 youths have already been detained.”
More than 10 of these detainees were sent to a military collection facility near Mawlamyine’s Mon Cultural Museum, according to sources close to the military.
The increasing shortage of recruits for the junta’s military has led to a decline in the number of youths volunteering for military training, and in October 2024, only four youths from Paung Township were sent to the military training center for batch (6).
In response to the ongoing conflict with revolutionary forces, the junta re-enacted the military conscription law in February 2024, which was originally imposed in November 2010. As a result, youths are being forcefully detained and sent to military training centers, with the junta expanding the number of training batches from one to seven as it seeks to bolster its ranks.
According to a report by the Burma Affairs & Conflict Study (BACS), between 21,000 and 22,000 people have been detained for military training in recent months, with training groups ranging from batch 1 to 5. The junta is intensifying its efforts to round up young people to meet its recruitment goals.
