Thousands flee Myanmar as military brings in conscription amid civil war fears

Soldiers with their vehicles as people gather to protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar – REUTERS

Young people are racing to flee Myanmar after the military introduced conscription to help replenish its ranks, with the country teetering on the brink of all-out civil war.

The junta on Wednesday announced a plan to draft 60,000 young men and women yearly for military service, with call-ups beginning in April.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021, sparking an insurgency and devastating the economy. At least 70,000 people have already fled, while roughly 2.6 million have been internally displaced.

But those figures look set to rise after the junta unveiled its mandatory conscription plans.

“It made the whole country [in] more chaos, especially the youth,” said Wathone, a spokesman for People’s Goal, an organisation that works with military defectors. “Now, a lot of them are trying to immigrate abroad. Thailand is mostly chosen as it is a neighbouring [country] and the culture is mostly similar.”

People queue for a token to apply for a visa outside the Royal Thai embassy in Yangon, Myanmar on Friday – EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

This week, long queues snaked through the streets outside the Thai embassy in Yangon, where hundreds of young people patiently waited in the sun with their visa applications. But amid the huge demand, Thailand has announced that it will grant only 400 new visas a day.

“According to the military, the number of people eligible for conscription is around 13 million. It would only have the capacity to recruit and train a fraction of that number… so the chances of being conscripted seem quite slim,” said Tom Kean, a senior consultant on Myanmar at Crisis Group.

“But if you put yourself in the shoes of a young Myanmar person in their twenties, you’re not going to take that risk if there’s any way you can avoid it… because the consequences of being recruited are so terrible,” he told The Telegraph.

In Bangkok, many are now anxiously waiting for news about relatives across the border.

“I am very upset about my 23-year-old daughter who remains at home,” said Nu, who has worked in the Thai capital since long before the coup, and whose name has been changed. “She has to [come to] Thailand as soon as possible. Now the regime in our country is very bad, [it] is very cruel to our people.”

A woman sits next to a cat in front of her damaged house following fighting between Myanmar’s military and independence groups in Nam Hpat Kar, Kutkai, in the northern Shan State – STR/AFP

Under the new legislation – which the junta says will be enforced soon after the traditional Thingyan New Year celebration in mid-April – men aged 18 to 35 and women 18 to 27 can be drafted into the armed forces for two years.

A higher age limit of 45 for men and 35 for women applies in certain professional categories, such as doctors and engineers, and anyone evading conscription will face three to five years in prison.

But the military’s recruitment drive may prove to be a boon for their opposition, which has been gaining ground since launching a coordinated assault in October.

“Many people are applying [to resistance groups] as they don’t want to be a part of the military dictatorship,” said Wathone. “Instead, they think they will join the PDF [People’s Defence Forces] so that the revolution will be more reinforced.”

Earlier this week Khit Media, an independent news outlet in Myanmar, reported that the Yangon Military Region received more than 2,000 applications to join in less than 24 hours. The outlet shared links to more than 30 other resistance groups that have announced recruitment drives.

“The introduction of conscription shows how desperate the military regime is to hold on to power,” said Mr Kean. “It seems clear the generals do not intend to seek a negotiated solution and are instead intent on pursuing a military victory.

“As a result, we should expect increased conflict in the months and years ahead, which will severely affect the country’s development and have terrible consequences for the people of Myanmar.”

%n

Discover Telegraph Wine Cellar’s new wine club. Enjoy expertly chosen bottles at exclusive member prices. Plus, free delivery on every order.