Bangkok, Thailand—

Myanmar’s youth leaders are determined to avoid military conscription laws that could pit them against their own resistance movement.

Myanmar’s People’s Army Service Law was promulgated in 2010 and launched in February, stipulating that men aged 18 to 45 years old and women aged 18 to 35 years old can enlist in the army and serve for a period of two years. People in certain professions, such as doctors, are required to serve for three years. In cases of national emergency, military service may be extended to five years.

Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for Myanmar’s military junta, said the country’s ruling junta aims to recruit 60,000 recruits a year and 5,000 recruits by the end of April.

Robert Minn, 25, is a youth activist with the Friends of Myanmar Milk Tea Alliance, an advocacy group that spans several East Asian countries. He told VOA he was recently stopped at a checkpoint in Yangon and asked to join the army.

“I went downtown last week and they checked my phone,” he said. “There was nothing on my phone, nothing political. But they asked, ‘Are you willing to join the military? Are you willing to participate in this draft?”

Faced with threats, Minn said he was determined to escape.

“I said no, but there were a lot of soldiers, so I said if you formally called and wrote to me, I might join,” he said.

Minn said he paid the soldiers 50,000 MMK (kyats), or US$23.80, in order to leave the checkpoint.

“This is not to say [that I wanted] Join them,” he said. “I just have to pay and get away. If I said yes, they might recruit me there.the first few times [the military] Just now I could easily pass by checking my ID card, but this time it’s a little trickier. “

Since the conscription law came into effect on February 10, government leaflets encouraging young people to join the army have been distributed across Myanmar.

But Aung Sett, an activist with the All Myanmar Federation of Students’ Unions, said the conscription law could force individuals to join the army “against their will”.

“They’re forcing young people and young students to leave the country or take up arms and fight, leaving them no choice,” he told VOA. “It does pose some threats to our community, especially those who live in People in urban areas. I’m really concerned about young people who may be being recruited against their will.”

Myanmar has been in chaos since military leader General Min Aung Hlaing and his troops overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021. The coup sparked an armed revolution that lasted three years.

Myanmar’s resistance movement includes the civilian-led Government of National Unity; its armed force, the People’s Defense Forces; and ethnic armed groups.

In October, the resistance launched an offensive in Myanmar’s Shan State and captured dozens of military-controlled towns and posts. Despite the ceasefire, conflict continues to rage in other parts of Myanmar as the junta struggles to regain control.

Myanmar’s military is currently recruiting more recruits, with millions of people eligible. According to the military government, 14 million people (6.3 million men and 7.7 million women) out of a population of 56 million are eligible for military service.

Jewell asked that her real name not be used for security reasons. She is a member of the Pazundang Youth Strike Committee, an anti-junta group in Yangon. She said the new draft law could put women at risk.

“The women’s military service law was very concerning during the coup because the military raped women. If not, it would have been used as a human shield to carry military equipment or find [land] Mine,” she said by phone from Myanmar.

In recent years, rapes have occurred frequently during the military’s violent suppression of resistance forces. The junta declined to comment until contacted by VOA.

Jewell said the draft forced her members to seek protection from pro-democracy opposition forces.

“My group included both men and women. Due to the inclusion of girls, all members who reached the age specified in the conscription law fled to the People’s Revolutionary Army because they did not want to serve in the army,” she said.

Zarni Soe, a Rohingya youth and human rights activist and founder of the Arakan Youth Peace Network, said his organization has also faced significant challenges in recent weeks. Reports say hundreds of Rohingya youths have been detained by the state’s junta, raising concerns about whether the military will draft them into the army.

“As a result, I had to cease my actual activities in the region from that point on. To safeguard my efforts, I prioritized acting with caution, utilizing secure communication channels, acting with caution, and building a strong network from multiple domains ,” he told VOA.

Thousands of Myanmar nationals have tried to leave the country due to the possibility of military service. A long queue formed in front of the Thai Embassy in Yangon, where dozens of Myanmar citizens were arrested by Thai authorities after illegally entering Thailand.

Ye Miaohai, a global fellow at the Wilson Center and a visiting fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, said the military initiated the draft because the public lacked interest in joining the military.

“With growing public hostility towards the military following the coup, voluntary enlistment has become almost impossible,” he said in February.

“If the junta continues to use coercion and coercion, the public will have several options, including fleeing the country, increasing physical support for resistance to the junta, and joining the resistance themselves,” he said.