The junta has activated the Reserve Forces Law, allowing it to send veterans back to the front line.
Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing said on Tuesday that he was making the move because many veterans had asked him to. They want to return to duty for the sake of national defense, he told a meeting of representatives of political parties.
That night, Min Aung Hlaing, who chairs the Myanmar War Veterans Organization, signed the law into effect. It was promulgated in 2010 by the regime led by dictator Than Shwe but never used.
The organization had 91,677 members and 161,372 auxiliary members nationwide as of September 2021 and 308 of 330 townships nationwide had veteran organizations, according to its website.
Not all the veterans will be recalled to active duty, Min Aung Hlaing said, explaining that only those who are fit and suitable will be recalled.
Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun was quoted by junta media as saying: “Those who were allowed to resign or retire from the military over the past five years are liable to serve in the reserve force. But not all of them will be recalled to active duty. Only those who are really needed for the country will be allowed to serve.”
Under the law, all the former military personnel must serve in the reserve forces for five years starting from the day they are allowed to resign or retire. The military chief, however, can extend their service for more than five years “in the interests of the state.”
The law, however, does not say how long their service can be extended.
Failing to serve in the reserve force is punishable by three years in prison or a fine or both.
Those who are recalled will be entitled to their pension as well as other benefits granted by the military chief. They will be appointed to the same rank they held when they retired or resigned, the law states.
The junta’s defense ministry will issue necessary by-laws, procedures, notifications and orders to implement the Reserve Forces Law.
The regime also activated the conscription law on Saturday, requiring all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve in Myanmar military for two to five years.
Myanmar’s military has suffered an all-time high number of casualties and defections and faced escalating resistance in the three years since the coup. Public support for the military has also plunged, severely limiting its ability to find volunteer recruits.
