Myanmar Spring Chronicle – February 19 Overview
MoeMaKa, February 20, 2025
Myanmar: A Nation Forced into Exodus Due to War and Injustice
Myanmar, a country rich in natural resources, with vast agricultural land, a temperate climate, and abundant water resources, is now witnessing a mass exodus of its people. Despite having a sufficient labor force and a land-to-population ratio favoring vast territory over its populace, Myanmar is increasingly joining the ranks of nations where young people, skilled professionals, and workers are leaving the country through various means.
Like war-torn nations such as Somalia and Libya in Africa or Syria in the Middle East, Myanmar is also experiencing a mass departure of its people, with millions fleeing to neighboring and other foreign countries in search of work and safety.
Struggles of Myanmar Migrants
While many who migrate aim to support their families back home, settling abroad is not easy. Some manage to leave through legal channels, but the majority cannot do so formally. Instead, they risk their lives and spend significant sums to cross borders illegally in search of job opportunities.
Even before the enforcement of the conscription law, hundreds of thousands had already left the country. The ongoing armed conflicts, political instability, and the withdrawal of foreign investments have diminished job opportunities within Myanmar. As military conscription began forcibly recruiting young people, many families saw no option but to send their children abroad for safety.
Initially, military conscription mainly targeted ethnic areas controlled by armed resistance groups, such as the PNO/PNA-controlled regions and Shan armed group territories. However, after the military junta officially enforced the conscription law last year, forced recruitment rapidly spread nationwide.
The Impact of Military Conscription
Following the law’s enactment, the junta began conscripting 5,000 people per month, triggering a surge in people fleeing the country. Residents of major cities like Yangon, Mandalay, Taunggyi, Monywa, Pathein, and Mawlamyine faced an increasing risk of being forcibly recruited.
In the early months, wealthier families could avoid conscription by paying substitutes, initially for amounts ranging from 1 to 2 million kyats. However, within months, this price skyrocketed to 5-6 million kyats, even reaching over 10 million kyats in some cases. Eventually, paying for exemptions became nearly impossible, and authorities resorted to outright forced recruitment.
Neighborhood and village administrators, who were initially lenient, intensified recruitment efforts. Security checkpoints along roads and in urban areas began detaining people at night or even during the day to conscript them. While some detainees were forced into military service, others were released only after paying bribes. Some were unjustly charged with unrelated crimes and imprisoned.
The Risk of Combat Deployment
As knowledge of conscription and its consequences spread, it became clear that most recruits underwent only a few months of training before being deployed to frontline battles. Many conscripts, with no prior combat experience, were sent to fight against heavily armed ethnic resistance groups in states like Rakhine, Karen, and Kachin, where battles were intense. Reports indicated that conscripts faced a casualty rate exceeding 50%, turning them into disposable reinforcements for the military’s war efforts.
Myanmar Migrants Facing Arrest Abroad
Recent reports indicate that over 100 Myanmar nationals were arrested in Thailand for illegal entry. In Kanchanaburi Province, near the Myanmar border, more than 130 migrants were abandoned by human traffickers and later arrested by Thai authorities. Many of them admitted that they fled conscription and were seeking jobs in Thailand or Malaysia.
However, those deported back to Myanmar face the severe risk of being handed over directly to the military junta and forcibly recruited. Similar incidents have already occurred, creating a dire situation where people flee to avoid military service, only to end up in the junta’s hands upon deportation.
A Bleak Future for Myanmar’s Youth
The future of Myanmar’s young generation is increasingly grim. Their opportunities for quality education are dwindling, and many are being forcibly conscripted into war. Avoiding recruitment has become a life-threatening challenge. Meanwhile, daily news reports highlight arrests—both within the country for dodging conscription and abroad for illegal migration—making forced recruitment and mass displacement an ongoing humanitarian crisis.