Forced to Enlist: The Impacts of Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma
Since the attempted military coup nearly four years ago on 1 February 2024, Burma has experienced increasingly widespread human rights abuses perpetrated by the military. Among these violations, the enforcement of a forced conscription law has emerged as a brutal tool of control, primarily targeting young men and women across the country.
This report, Forced to Enlist: The Impact of Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma, will provide a detailed analysis of these abuses, focusing specifically on the Mon, Karen, and Tanintharyi regions—areas where the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has extensively documented the impact of these practices in Southern Burma. Additional reporting supports our findings, as detailed in HURFOM’s May 2024 briefing paper, ‘Forced to Fight: Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma.’
The forced conscription law has not only infringed on the fundamental rights of individuals but has also spread fear and intimidation throughout communities, leading to the mass displacement of civilians. Throughout southeastern Burma and much of the nation, the junta’s aggressive conscription efforts have faced strongresistance. Those who have courageously opposed the military are met with severe consequences such as imprisonment, torture and even death.
The long-term consequences of the forced conscription policies for regional stability in Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi Region are severe and multifaceted. The disruption of social structures, the psychological trauma inflicted on individuals and communities, and the resulting displacement and migration have all contributed to an environment of instability that will be difficult to overcome.
Compounding these abuses, the junta has recently formed “people’s security and anti-terrorism groups” as part of a nationwide strategy to bolster its weakening control. The regime has created a committee tasked with training, arming, and supplying militias at the village and ward levels, extending its reach into local communities.
This strategy attempts to mitigate the military’s mounting losses against resistance forces, including those documented in HURFOM’s targeted areas. The supervising and directing groups who are trained and backed by the junta, provide logistics support, military training, and recruitment of civilians and technicians.
These militias are intended to support military operations. However, the forced recruitment and arming of civilians have instilled further fear among local populations, leading to heightened insecurity. While the junta claims that the recruitment process is in the national interest of the country, the reality suggests otherwise, as many recruits are coerced into joining through physical and verbal threats or financial incentives.
Given the scale and severity of the abuses associated with the conscription law, HURFOM recognizes the urgent need for a detailed investigation into its implementation and effects. This report aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the violations and abuses perpetrated by the junta in enforcing this law, with a particular emphasis on how it has affected the lives of young people and civilians inthe Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi region.
Given the scale and severity of the abuses associated with the conscription law, HURFOM recognizes the urgent need for a detailed investigation into its implementation and effects.
This report aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the violations and abuses perpetrated by the junta in enforcing this law, with a particular emphasis on how it has affected the lives of young people and civilians in the Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi region.
This report has two purposes:
- To document the human rights violations resulting from 1 the junta’s conscription efforts, providing a record that can be used for future accountability measures;
- To raise awareness within the international community about the ongoing crisis in Burma, advocating for more decisive intervention to protect the rights and lives of those affected by these oppressive practices.
Further, it will reveal the various aspects of these tyrannous measures, offering a comprehensive view of how the forced conscription law and the formation of local militias have been implemented and their impact on targeted populations. Detailed case studies, testimonials, and analyses will highlight the ongoing struggles faced by the people of the Mon, Karen, and Tanintharyi regions.
The report also calls for immediate action from the international community to address these egregious human rights violations and to act to stop the violence against civilians immediately.
The primary objectives are:
- To document and analyze the implementation of the forced conscription law in the targeted regions, highlighting the specific tactics used by the junta to enforce the law and the impact on local populations.
- To provide detailed case studies and testimonials from individuals and communities affected by the conscription law, offering a human perspective on the consequences of this policy.
- To assess the broader implications of the conscription law on the social, economic, and political landscape in Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi region, considering both the immediate and long-term effects on the affected populations.
- To call for international attention and action to address the ongoing human rights violations associated with the Junta’s conscription law and to support efforts to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
This document is intended to serve as a resource for policymakers, human rights advocates, and the international community. It will provide information needed to understand the scope of the junta’s abuses and advocate for meaningful intervention to protect the rights and lives of the people of Burma.
By shedding light on these issues, HURFOM hopes to contribute to a broader understanding of the Junta’s systematic abuses and support efforts to achieve justice and accountability for the people of Burma. These findings will follow up on our May 2024 report, “Forced to Fight,” which provided an overview of how the enforcement of forced conscription has affected communities across southeastern Burma.
