The military junta and ward administration officials have begun delivering conscription notices door-to-door and recruiting people for military service in Mawlamyine, Mon State, according to local residents.
Residents said the conscription notices are not being delivered to every household. Instead, they are being sent specifically to homes where young people of military service age are believed to live.
“It is true that they are delivering conscription notices. They don’t know whether our children are at home or living abroad. But if a household has someone of military service age, they deliver a notice there. Some families have received notices even though their children are currently overseas,” a female resident said.
According to the notice, recipients are being summoned to register as individuals eligible for military service. It also warns that those who fail to report may face legal action.
Another resident said authorities are also encouraging people to join the military by offering a monthly salary of 300,000 kyats. Those interested are being instructed to collect application forms from their ward administration office and submit their personal information.
“They are trying to attract people by saying they will receive 300,000 kyats a month if they join the military. If someone wants to enlist, they can collect the application forms, fill in their personal information, and the ward office will submit the application. They are targeting people facing financial hardship by making them think that earning 300,000 kyats a month is a good opportunity,” a male resident said.
Residents said this type of recruitment campaign had not been seen before but became more visible during June. So far, authorities have not reportedly used direct threats while promoting military service.
In Mawlamyine, ward administrators are also reportedly using a substitute hiring system to meet military service quotas. Residents said families are paying from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of kyats to hire substitutes in place of those selected for military service.
In addition to the substitute hiring system, the military junta has reportedly relied on lottery-based selection, forced arrests, porter recruitment, accusations of violating local orders, and other methods to compel people to serve in the military.
According to data compiled by ground monitoring groups, more than 5,400 young people in Mon State have been recruited into military service during conscription batches 1 to 26 under the military junta’s conscription program.
