As the military junta continues to implement its conscription law, now entering its 12th weekly round, incidents of conscripts deserting or evading military service are on the rise across Mon State, according to sources close to military training schools and resistance groups.
In Thanbyuzayat Township’s Weakali village, military trainees from the No. 4 Officer Training School have reportedly been seen fleeing through nearby rubber plantations, still dressed in military uniforms. Local residents say junta forces have been actively pursuing them in recent days.
“Even at the end of 2024, some had already fled from the training schools, but there were no serious search efforts back then,” a local source said. “Now, the junta is using both soldiers and drones to hunt down deserters.”
A resident of Thanbyuzayat added, “It’s become normal to see people escaping. But lately, junta search teams have gotten much more aggressive. They park their vehicles near plantations and search the area. At night, they use flashlights to look for runaways.”
Due to these ongoing operations, local rubber plantation workers say they are now living with heightened caution and fear.
Elsewhere in Thaton, Kyaikto, and Bilin townships, more than 20 junta-trained soldiers who completed a three-month course and were issued weapons have defected to resistance groups, according to Ko Aye Min Tun, a spokesperson for the Thaton District People’s Defense Force (PDF).
“We’ve received defectors both with and without weapons, around 20 people recently,” he said. “Some have been transferred to other areas. Others have contacted us from Tanintharyi’s Palaw Township after completing their training. A few hid their weapons before escaping.”
Resistance forces in southern Mon State also report a steady monthly flow of defectors from junta training camps who surrender with their weapons.
Sources close to military training schools say junta commanders have warned that if trainees escape, instructors could face disciplinary measures, including demotion or suspension of promotion.
In Mon State, the junta’s 12-week recruitment campaign has involved door-to-door conscription, forced enlistment of petty criminals, and the use of paid substitutes to take the place of those enlisted, often in exchange for large sums of money.
“The junta started the draft from Week 1 to Week 12 by forcing young men to register,” said Nai Aue Mon, Director of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM). “They forcibly conscript people from guest lists, take bribes from families trying to protect their children, and hire substitutes. They even detain youth over minor infractions and forcibly enroll them in training. In some cases, families had no choice but to hand over their children because they couldn’t afford to pay bribes.”
Though junta officials have denied conscripting women, Nai Aue Mon says women are increasingly pressured to support military operations, either through logistical work or administrative roles in military offices.
On April 22, during the 12th week of conscription, reports emerged that migrant workers in Mawlamyine were hired for 4 million kyats each to serve as replacements for conscripts from Paung Township.
Nationwide, the junta has reportedly recruited nearly 50,000 people under its controversial conscription law and has launched 10 waves of weekly conscription so far. In Mon State alone, nearly 2,000 individuals have been conscripted, including at least 30 women, according to data from HURFOM.
Since the junta enacted the conscription law in February 2024, Mon State has witnessed a sharp rise in enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and forced recruitment leading to widespread human rights abuses.
