Two hundred Myanmar nationals who completed their sentences for illegal entry in southern Thailand were deported to Myanmar, according to a report from the Bangkok Post on 24 February.Burmese cuisine recipes

The deportees, 198 men and two women were transported from Thailand’s Ranong district to Myanmar’s Kawthaung town via 14 boats through a customs pier at Khao Nang Hong village, Thailand.

Local residents said many deportees from Ranong are often recruited by Myanmar’s junta upon their arrival.

“The Military Council has sent those eligible for military service to the military training centre in Myeik. After that, I don’t know where they are sent,” said a resident of Kawthaung.

Myanmar authorities typically detain returnees at holding centres before transferring them to military training camps.

In the past, family members could secure their release by paying bribes through the township general administration office. However, locals say this method has become increasingly difficult due to a shortage of new recruits.

In August 2023, the cost of avoiding military conscription through bribery ranged from 6,000 baht (approximately 800,000 kyats) to 15,000 baht (about 2,000,000 kyats) per person. By November, the price had surged to 50,000 baht (around 6,700,000 kyats). However, this illegal practice is reportedly no longer as effective due to the junta’s urgent need for recruits.

Following the enforcement of the military service law, many young people from Myanmar have been fleeing to Thailand through legal and illegal means to escape conscription.

However, with Thai authorities intensifying crackdowns on undocumented migrants, more Myanmar nationals are being arrested and deported. Those returned to Myanmar now face the growing risk of forced military service.