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(MoeMaKa), May\u00a016, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n More than three months after Operation 1027 began in October 2023, the military regime unexpectedly announced in February 2024 that the People\u2019s Military Service Law would officially take effect. The law itself had originally been enacted in 2010 by Than Shwe during preparations for the transition from direct military rule to a quasi-civilian government, but it had remained inactive for 14 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more than 70 years since independence, Myanmar had never enforced mandatory military service\u2014not even during earlier decades of civil war. Yet after the 2021 coup and the intensifying nationwide conflict, the junta finally activated the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Historically, Myanmar\u2019s military evolved from both the British colonial army and the nationalist Burma Independence Army formed during World War II. After independence, military service remained voluntary, and joining the army was often viewed as a job opportunity, especially for young people from poorer ethnic regions with limited economic prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, two years after the law was enforced, the junta appears to have benefited significantly from it. By reportedly recruiting around 5,000 new soldiers per month, the military may have gathered more than 100,000 conscripts in two years. Many of these recruits, after only a few months of training, were sent directly to active battlefronts against ethnic armed groups and People\u2019s Defense Forces (PDFs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, some people believed forced recruits might eventually turn their weapons against the military leadership itself. Others encouraged conscripts to defect to resistance groups once deployed to the front lines. While some defections did occur, such cases later became less common than many had hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the junta\u2019s perspective, the law succeeded in solving its manpower shortage. But the broader consequences for society have been severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law has contributed to economic disruption, labor shortages, declining education participation, and increasing migration abroad. Supporters of the military, local administrators, and informants have reportedly used the conscription system for corruption\u2014kidnapping youths, taking bribes to release them, or arranging substitutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses, agriculture, and service industries are increasingly losing young workers, while many people continue trying to flee the country by any means possible. As the civil war continues, the junta is expected to keep enforcing the law, and the burden will fall hardest on poorer people\u2014those unable to leave the country, lacking connections, or unable to relocate for safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 Scenes from May 15 (MoeMaKa), May\u00a016, 2026 Two Years After the Conscription Law Was Activated More than three months after Operation 1027 began in October 2023, the military regime unexpectedly announced in February 2024 that the…<\/p>\nTwo Years After the Conscription Law Was Activated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n