Young men live in fear of being snatched off the streets and sold to Myanmar's army
A desperate junta is in a war of attrition against ethnic militias and and civilian resistance.
Young men in Hpa-An, the capital of Myanmar's Karen state, live in constant fear of being taken off the streets and forced into the military. A 26-year-old tuk tuk driver reveals he must always worry about who he takes as a passenger and stay out of sight after dark. Authorities are reportedly roaming the city, arresting people in their teens, 20s, and 30s and forcing them into service.
Leaked documents show the junta is being forced to meet military recruitment quotas across the country as it battles ethnic militias and other resistance groups. The mandatory conscription law, enacted in 2022, requires men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve at least two years in the military, or face up to five years in prison.
The junta has already conscripted an estimated 100,000 young people in the past two and a half years, often through coercion, extortion, and abductions.
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