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Myanmar's young men live in fear of being snatched off the streets and sold to the army
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Young men in Hpa-An, Myanmar, live in fear of abduction by junta forces who forcibly recruit them into the military, with many avoiding being outside after dark to evade capture.
- The Myanmar military enacted a mandatory conscription law requiring men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve two years, with refusal punishable by imprisonment, intensifying forced recruitment amid ongoing civil war.
- Reports reveal widespread coercion, abduction, and even a black market where recruits are sold between local wards to meet military quotas, highlighting systemic human trafficking under the guise of conscription.
- Families face harassment, extortion, and emotional trauma, as seen in cases like Ma Moe San Pan’s husband, who was forcibly conscripted and allegedly sold by local officials, while scams exploit desperate relatives.
- International human rights organizations condemn these practices as modern slavery, emphasizing that the junta uses conscription laws to sustain its military amid conflict and suppress civilian resistance.
