Featured image: The main foreground subject is a blue three-wheeled vehicle, likely a tuk-tuk or auto rickshaw, with a small canopy. AI-generated image; not a photograph of the reported event.
In Hpa-An, the capital of Myanmar’s southern Karen state, young men avoid being out after dark. This isn’t just a local rule—it’s a survival tactic. Source: bbc.co.uk.
What Happened
Zaw Min, a 26-year-old tuk tuk driver, says he has no choice but to go out to work. His family constantly reminds him to stay vigilant.
He says some of his friends have been taken. Others have fled to Thailand or distant relatives.
Local reports say plain-clothed members of the Myanmar junta have been seen roaming streets, arresting teens and young adults, and forcing them into military service.
Key Facts
- Myanmar’s military has ordered aggressive recruitment of men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27.
- Leaked documents show recruitment is often carried out through coercion, extortion, and abduction.
- Missing person ads on Facebook increased from four in 2021 to 82 in 2025.
- One woman reported her husband was sold to another ward for 4 million kyats.
Background: How the Law Works
After the 2021 military coup, the junta enacted a mandatory conscription law requiring two years of military service for eligible men and women.
Refusal to serve can lead to up to five years in prison. The law has been used to expand military ranks amid a war of attrition against ethnic militias and civilian resistance.
Security forces track young people, often arresting them under the guise of legal eligibility. They extort money and use guest-list inspections to justify detentions.
According to Maj Naung Yoe of the Myanmar Defense and Security Institute, this law represents one of the most severe actions against civilians since the coup.
Why It Matters
These recruitment practices have created a human supply chain for the military. In many areas, resistance groups are now on the defensive.
But the system is breaking down. More young people are avoiding conscription—some to join resistance, others simply to escape conflict.
International groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented abductions and forced conscription.
One case shows a woman in Yangon who lost her husband to a recruitment scheme. He was allegedly sold to another ward for 4 million kyats. The woman claims she was scammed out of 4.5 million kyats to secure his release.
She filed police complaints but was denied human trafficking charges—only if the person was sold abroad.
Limitations and Open Questions
The government has not responded to reports of forced recruitment or abductions.
While the law appears to have filled recruitment gaps, it has also led to widespread fear and exploitation.
There is no official count of how many people have been abducted or how many have been sold between townships.
Many families remain unaware of where their loved ones are or what has happened to them.
What to Watch Next
As more young men evade conscription, the junta’s methods may grow more extreme.
International monitoring groups will continue to track missing persons and recruitment patterns.
Legal and humanitarian responses may eventually address the scale of forced conscription and human trafficking.
The BBC contacted the Central Body for Summoning People’s Military Servants. They offered no comment.
For more on similar cases of forced recruitment and abuse, see this report on a former Australian bishop.
