Conscription rot revealed
The junta’s enactment of the Conscription Law in February 2024 has been a boon for corrupt officials, with numerous reports of intimidation and extortion by authorities targeting those seeking to evade mandatory military service.
During a meeting on Thursday with military personnel and their families in Kalaw, southern Shan State, deputy junta chief Soe Win admitted his regime has had to grapple with daily cases of corruption in conscription bodies at all levels over the past year.
However, despite widespread reports of extortion and graft by junta conscription officials, the regime has previously acknowledged just one case – when it took action against a police officer and administrators in Shwebo, Sagaing Region, in January.
Now, Soe Win has let the cat out of the bag.
The junta No. 2 also urged military personnel to alert authorities immediately if they spot any irregular behavior from conscription bodies.
The long-dormant conscription law was activated by the regime last year to replenish an army seriously depleted by three years of fighting across multiple fronts nationwide. The law triggered a mass exodus of young people abroad. Those unable to flee now face threats and extortion by lower-level junta authorities, including officials in township administration departments.
Although Soe Win has finally acknowledged the systemic conscription corruption and its consequences, enforcement of the law continues, driven by the regime’s urgent need to replace troops killed and wounded on front lines. And the corruption will remain as long as the law is in place.
Plan to boot sanctions
As the regime hosted the “Forum on Myanmar Beyond 2025: Challenges and Opportunities in the Multipolar World” in Naypyitaw on Friday, junta boss Min Aung Hlaing claimed the country’s rich resources, including fertile soil and long rivers, made it invulnerable to Western economic sanctions.
Echoing his predecessors, the junta leader argued that the sanctions had been unproductive, declaring the regime had managed to overcome any negative effects. He even boasted of Myanmar’s strategic geopolitical location as a shield against international penalties for military takeovers.
The forum, organized by the Ministry of Information in partnership with the Myanmar Narrative Think Tank – a pro-junta propaganda outlet – aimed to “inform the world about the true situation in Myanmar and encourage their cooperation with the regime based on understanding and sympathy; counter the accusations against the regime; and enhance the country’s image.”
Min Aung Hlaing’s predecessor, Than Shwe, made similar remarks in response to economic sanctions, even commissioning a song with the lyrics: “We don’t care about economic sanctions; our land is rich in natural resources.” The result? The ruling generals grew richer, while ordinary Myanmar people plunged further into poverty.
Participants in Friday’s forum may have been taken aback when Min Aung Hlaing abruptly asked, “You wear clothes and shoes, don’t you?” The junta boss went on to explain that Myanmar produces cotton and leather, which could be turned into clothes and shoes for export to billions of people in neighboring countries. Selling shoes, he suggested, was a big business opportunity for Myanmar.
It’s too soon to tell if Myanmar’s people will benefit from Min Aung Hlaing’s latest business brainwave. When he previously championed solar energy to combat widespread power outages, it was his son, Aung Pyae Sone, who benefitted after being handed the contract to import solar panels and related equipment. Willl Aung Pyae Sone’s next business venture be shoemaking? Watch this space.
Handing guns to urban militias
The regime is tightening control over major urban centers by bolstering and arming home-front militias.
In Myanmar’s second city of Mandalay, the so-called “People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism” teams have recently started carrying weapons.
Initially deployed for routine tasks like vehicle checks, the blue-uniformed militias are now carrying firearms like G-3 rifles and carbines, according to locals. Read more
Enforcing the draft by threatening parents
Local authorities in Mandalay Region are leaning heavily on parents to send their children into mandatory military service amid reports of parents bribing administrators to exempt them.
The regime maintains a list of eligible individuals aged 18 to 35, using a lottery system to determine who gets conscripted.
Earlier this month, parents in certain Mandalay neighborhoods were forced to sign declarations agreeing to draw lots themselves and voluntarily send their children to… Read more
