Myanmar students may be 'forced to support an oppressive regime' after graduating from Australian universities

Myanmar nationals studying in Australia fear they will be conscripted if they return to their home country. (ABC News: Cordelia Brown)

They came to Australia to build a better future.

But when they return home they may be forced to help prop up a military regime.

And the skills they have to do so, may have been inadvertently funded by the Australian government.

That’s the fear of many Myanmar nationals studying at universities across Australia as graduation, and the expiry of their student visas, draws near.

“People are angry and feeling anxious and hopeless,” international student Eden, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, told the ABC.

Myanmar has been locked in a bloody civil war since a military coup in 2021 and this year, the military started enforcing conscription.

Even if she wasn’t sent to the front line, Eden fears she would be compelled to use the technical skills gained while studying in Australia to help the military government.

“The risk of being forcibly recruited into the military and a regime that commits human rights violation, it’s contrary to my personal safety and ethical belief,” she said.

“It would somehow deprive our acquired skills and knowledge from their intended constructive purposes, to supporting a military regime that actively hinders the progress and betterment we hope to bring.”

How Australia could ‘foot the bill’ for an ‘oppressive regime’

While many international students can apply for post-graduate visas to extend their stay in Australia, that’s not an option for Eden.

She is one of 139 Myanmar nationals involved in the Australia Awards program, which helps people from developing nations gain skills to better their home country.

The scholarship provides tuition fees, airfares and some living expenses, however, all applicants must leave Australia for at least two years after graduation to ensure the skills gained are used to benefit their home country.

If they don’t, they must pay back the scholarship.

Associate professor Nick Cheesman from the ANU Myanmar Research Centre said while nothing was certain, Australia Awards scholars who return to Myanmar would be “eligible to be recruited” by the military.

“And in the event that that happens, then the Australian taxpayer will have footed the bill for expertise that the Myanmar military can now draw down on,” he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not respond directly to questions about how the expertise fostered by the Australia Awards program could be used.

But it did say Australia was “deeply concerned by the worsening political, security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar, and at the regime’s announcement of conscription”.

“We remain resolute in our support for the people of Myanmar, including through our international advocacy and development and humanitarian assistance,” a spokesperson said.

“DFAT is working with the Department of Home Affairs and the universities to ensure Australian Awards scholars are provided appropriate support at this difficult time.”

Eden urged the government to consider “adjusted visa conditions”.

“It is essential to ensure that the investment made in our education, for all scholars, does not inadvertently support an oppressive regime,” she said.

Why is conscription being enforced now?

Myanmar has had conscription laws on its books since 2010, however, the military only started enforcing them in February.

Professor Cheesman said that was because the military was “losing against revolutionary forces”.

“It’s losing personnel, it’s losing equipment, it’s losing ground, it’s losing friends. And this is part of a series of desperate measures that it’s taking to shore up its position,” he said.

Men aged 18 to 35 and women 18 to 27 are eligible for service, along with professionals, including doctors and engineers as old as 45.

The military government announced in February it wanted to conscript 60,000 men and women a year, and those who refuse face five years in prison.

Some are fleeing to neighbouring Thailand, arranging last-minute weddings or self-inflicting injuries to avoid the draft.

How has the international community responded?

Countries including the US, the UK and Australia have condemned the military takeover and introduced sanctions against the regime.

Australia has imposed successive rounds of sanctions against military-owned companies, targeted banks in February and in 2022 started prioritising humanitarian visas for Myanmar nationals.

But advocates, such as Human Rights Watch, want more action to prevent abuses by the military.

Dr Tun-Aung Shwe represents Myanmar’s National Unity Government, which set up a “shadow embassy” in Canberra to try and increase international action.

Dr Shwe said “each and every family” was suffering under the psychological stress from the threat of conscription.

He said he had been told by one student that the military had threatened his parents with arrest if they did not return to Myanmar.

“They put the pressure, not only on the student, but also their family members. So that’s a significant human rights violation,” he said.

“So many Myanmar young people are now migrating to Thailand or India to escape from this forceful recruitment.

“And also, some people are joining the pro-democracy forces to fight against military.”

Dr Shwe said the military was “making an enemy of their own people” and called for Australia to apply more sanctions.

What’s next for the students?

With some set to graduate in the coming months, academics, advocates and students are racing to find an alternative to returning to Myanmar and potentially facing conscription.

Professor Cheesman said the Australian government had already made allowances to help students immediately following the military coup but called for further action in light of the enforcement of conscription.

“We believe that it’s possible for the Australian government in 2024 to take an expedient, efficient and compassionate approach to this in the interest of the students and indeed in the interests of Australia,” he said.

Despite the “daily stress and fear” of the war, Eden still wants to return to her country and utilise the expertise she gained in Australia.

She said she dreamt of contributing “to a future where we can all apply our skills and knowledge, more ethically and effectively when it is safe to go back home”.