The junta has intensified its abductions and forced conscriptions of young men in Mon State, as the 13th round of conscription gets under way.
As the junta struggles with severe manpower shortages amid battlefield setbacks nationwide, it is attempting to replenish its ranks by targeting young people in Mon State for conscription.
It has targeted and detained young people out at night, drug users and those violating local orders, such as the ban on two men riding a motorcycle together in designated zones. All those that it has detained under such conditions have been conscripted and sent away, according to Mon State residents who spoke to Than Lwin Times.
In Myanmar it is common to fill conscription quotas by hiring substitutes who, for a fee, agree to be conscripted instead of the people who should be conscripted. Junta officials often collect money to pay for conscription substitutes from communities who will then, in theory, not have to provide any further conscripts.
In Mon State, young people who cannot afford to pay for conscription substitutes are being taken away and conscripted. Anyone arrested for crimes such as theft are also being conscripted.
In Bilin Township in Mon State, it is not just petty criminals and drug dealers being conscripted. Young people out at night doing nothing wrong have also been conscripted, according to a township resident.
He said: “When the police found drug users fighting they arrested them and the junta sent them off for conscription. It was no different for those caught during gambling raids. Even young people who were simply out at night and ran into junta patrols were taken and forced into military service.”
Some of those arrested for petty crimes in Mon State were promised immunity from prosecution if they signed up for military service, but many were just forcibly sent off for military training without any explanation.
The junta seems to be increasingly targeting areas where young people committing minor crimes might be found, so that they can arrest and then conscript them.
He said to Than Lwin Times: “The junta also carried out covert abductions at times. Some young people were simply arrested off the street, with no reason given. It’s been increasingly targeting those convicted of theft or gambling. Once detained, they were sent straight to conscription centres, without any charges.”
This current conscription drive has made young people in Mon State too scared to leave their homes at night. Many are also trying to flee abroad.
Nai Aue Mon, a programme director at the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), condemned the forced conscription of young people as a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity.
He said: “The junta’s forced conscription of young people is a clear violation of human rights and forced labour. Forcing young people who have no military training into the killing fields as human shields is also a crime against humanity. We’ve already pointed this out.”
The junta first started enforcing the conscription law on 10 February 2024. On 22 April 2025, it started conscripting people in rounds, with each round of conscription needing to achieve a quota of conscripts. The 12th round is about to finish and the 13th round is about to start.
Around 2,100 young men were conscripted in Mon State during the first 12 rounds of conscription, according to data collected by Than Lwin Times.
