BORDER REGION — Recent figures from a military defector support group reveal that nearly 95% of soldiers fleeing Myanmar’s military over the past month are young men forcibly recruited under the national conscription law.
According to data released by People’s Goal, 41 out of the 44 soldiers who defected to the resistance in April were conscripts. The trend highlights the growing fragility of the sham government’s infantry as it increasingly relies on unwilling recruits to sustain its war effort.
‘Prisoners of the System’ Military analysts and former officers describe a bleak environment within the barracks, where those drafted under the conscription law are treated as second-class soldiers.
“Nearly 99% of these conscripts never wanted to join the military. They are looking for any opportunity to flee,” a CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) officer based on the border told MPA. “However, the military knows this and keeps them under extreme surveillance, while the resistance faces logistical challenges in facilitating more defections.”
The data also reveals that between defection and capture, a total of 76 individuals were removed from the sham government’s fighting force in April alone.
Internal Hierarchies and Abuse The influx of conscripts has reportedly created a new power dynamic within the military. Career soldiers, often referred to as “permanent soldiers,” are increasingly using conscripts for the most dangerous frontline duties and menial labor.
“Since the conscripts arrived, regular soldiers have moved up the hierarchy. Conscripts are used as human shields and are subjected to bullying by the seniors,” the CDM officer added. “Because regular soldiers now enjoy slightly better conditions and more power over others, we are seeing their own defection rates drop compared to the newcomers.”
Despite the risks, those who manage to escape are not just seeking safety. A recent report by the Myanmar Defense Strategy Institute (MDSI) on the implementation of the People’s Military Service Law notes that many escaped conscripts are choosing to pick up arms against the sham government that kidnapped them.
The report characterizes the current state of the infantry as a “life or death” struggle, where young men are forced to choose between dying in a war they do not support or risking execution to join the pro-democracy movement.
As the sham government continues its multi-front battle against ethnic armed groups and People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), its reliance on a demoralized and coerced workforce is becoming one of its most significant strategic vulnerabilities.
