In Lashio Township, northern Shan State, residents are caught in a tense situation amid rival conscription efforts by the junta and the Kokang ethnic armed group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
Locals reported that the junta has begun collecting household registration lists for the first round of conscription in Lashio, the largest city in northern Shan State. Junta-appointed ward administrators in Lashio have been conducting these censuses since January 21, raising residents’ fears that conscription summonses may soon follow.
“Before the fighting started in Lashio, there were already moves to recruit people. Back then, local authorities went around collecting household censuses and told residents that unmarried young men and women would also have to serve in the military. Then the fighting broke out, and the issue was dropped. Now, ward administrators have started updating the household census again for conscription, and everyone is feeling worried and anxious,” said a Lashio resident.
In late 2024, at the start of ‘Operation 1027’, the major offensive by the MNDAA and its allies against the junta in northern Shan State, the junta was preparing for conscription in Lashio. However, these efforts were halted once clashes erupted in the city.
The MNDAA captured Lashio but withdrew in April 2025 under pressure from China, allowing the junta to regain control. Despite this, the MNDAA continued deploying troops within four miles of the city, leaving the junta in charge of only 12 downtown wards while much of Lashio Township remained under MNDAA control.
As the junta renews conscription efforts in Lashio City, the MNDAA is also pressuring village heads in Nampawng Village Tract, Lashio Township, to recruit 40 new conscripts, according to local residents.
“The MNDAA has split Nampawng into eight villages and told local leaders to provide five conscripts from each, making a total of 40. They said the recruits will get military training but promised they’ll only be assigned to community security and guard duties. The MNDAA also said the recruits will be paid while staying in their own villages,” said a man from Nampawng.
Currently, MNDAA-controlled villages between Lashio City and Mongyai Town like Manpyin, Mansei, Narnang, Mongpai, Kunhlyoe, and Konemon are also facing pressure from the MNDAA to provide conscripts. When some villages couldn’t meet the MNDAA’s demands, the village heads had to go to the MNDAA camp in Thanlwin Village to apologize.
“Conscription is happening in almost every area the Kokang group controls. In Manpyin, the MNDAA asked for 10 conscripts, but the village couldn’t provide that many. So, the village heads had to go to the MNDAA officers to apologize. The officers said they would report the apology to their superiors,” the aforementioned source said.
Since handing Lashio City over to the junta under pressure from China, the MNDAA has stepped up conscription efforts in villages across Lashio Township.
On January 25, The Kokang, a media outlet that primarily covers MNDAA news, reported that the MNDAA had granted amnesty to 500 junta troops and 5 detainees in its custody.
