The Myanmar military`s forced conscription policy has pushed rebel forces onto the defensive across most parts of the country, BBC News reported on Tuesday. After making sweeping territorial gains over the past two years, the resistance movement is now facing intense counteroffensives from the ruling junta. Military analysts state that the mandatory service law introduced in 2024 has provided the armed forces with an almost unlimited pool of manpower. This influx allows the military to rapidly replenish its battlefield losses and reassert dominance over previously contested areas.
This shift in fortunes is highlighted by the experiences of four young conscripts aged between 19 and 25 who recently escaped to a rebel camp hidden deep in jungle-covered mountains. None of these young men had chosen to join the civil war or fight for the military regime. One of the escapees, a professional chef, was abducted from the street while returning home from work simply because he lacked an identification card. Another was detained on his way back from a late-night entertainment session, while a third was arrested while working for the state forestry department. The fourth man claimed that security forces slipped drugs into his footwear to frame him and force his enlistment.
The former conscripts revealed that they were sent to a basic training facility for four months before being deployed directly to the front lines in Karen State. While regular soldiers rarely performed heavy duties, the forced recruits were subjected to relentless work schedules without adequate morning or nighttime rest. Exhausted by the physical and mental strain, the four men decided to flee the military compound during a night trip to the washing area. After escaping into the jungle, they encountered a patrol of the People`s Defense Force, also known as the PDF, where they were subsequently detained.
The young men are currently staying with the rebel group, noting that they are being treated like brothers rather than prisoners of war. However, they cannot return to their homes immediately because the military could track them down and arrest them again. Consequently, the fighters plan to transport them to the nearby border with Thailand for their long-term safety. The news outlet agreed to withhold the identities of the escapees to protect their families from potential military retribution.
Ko Kaung, a battalion commander within the People`s Defense Force, confirmed that the junta`s forced mobilization drive has created a severe tactical problem for the resistance. While the military can continuously replace its casualties, the rebel groups are facing a critical shortage of combatants, funding, and modern weaponry. In addition, recent trade restrictions and border controls imposed by China on certain armed groups have disrupted their ammunition supplies. This marks a significant reversal from the massive victories achieved by the ethnic alliance when they initially forced the junta onto the defensive.
The devastating conflict in Myanmar began in February 2021 when the military staged a coup to overthrow the democratically elected government and jailed its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Since the power grab, the ongoing civil war has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of civilians from their homes. Although the military has successfully halted its battlefield losses through these conscription measures, the country remains trapped in deep political and economic crises. What remains unclear is whether the junta can maintain long-term stability by forcing its own unwilling citizens onto the battlefield.
