More than 3,000 young people have been forcibly recruited and sent to military training in Mon State under the pretext of the conscription law, according to Nai Aue Mon, Program Director of the Mon State Human Rights Foundation.
After the conscription law was enacted in February 2024, the military junta began training batches starting in April, setting a quota of 5,000 recruits per batch.
Nai Aue Mon said the junta has not only relied on ward and village authorities but has also formed conscription committees to carry out forced arrests, operations that target youth who are traveling, conducting nighttime raids, and detaining people by force.
“Within the 19 batches opened so far, the estimated number conscripted from Mon State alone is between 3,500 and 3,600. This means more than 200 to around 250 youths are being conscripted each month. Most are sent to the Tatmadaw Advanced Training Schools, commonly referred to as ‘Takaka’,” he said.
Due to ongoing clashes nationwide and the need to replenish troop numbers, the junta increased recruitment in Mon State from batch 5 to batch 10, collecting up to 1,400 recruits per batch, and has continued increasing the numbers since then, he added.
The junta opened the nationwide Batch No. 20 military training on December 13th, including in Mon State and Karen State.
In Mon State, forcibly conscripted youths have been sent to the No. (4) Tatmadaw Advanced Training School in Wae Ka Li village tract, Thanbyuzayat Township, and the Thaton Basic Military Training School, and at times conscripts are transported toward the Palaw area.
A Mon youth said that in towns under junta control, recruitment is carried out through summons letters delivered via administrators, while it is more aggressively enforced in areas under martial law.
“Now, many young people are fleeing abroad. Some are also seeking refuge with ethnic armed organizations. Personally, I encourage the youth to take shelter in areas controlled by resistance groups or ethnic armed organizations. I’ve heard that the Mon Youth Progressive Organization has set up a safe house for those who find it difficult to evade conscription due to the law. I’m not certain, but if such a place exists and contact is made, it could provide safety,” he said.
Although students may request temporary exemptions under the conscription law, he warned that as long as they remain under junta control, they can be arrested at any time. He therefore urged those being targeted to relocate to places where they can feel safe and secure.
Under the conscription law, arrests have been reported in Mawlamyine, Chaungzon, Mudon, Thanbyuzayat, Kyaikmaraw, Thaton, Bilin, Kyaikto, and along the Mon–Karen border. Townships with fewer arrests occurring where resistance forces are relatively strong.
