Myanmar's military junta has escalated forced recruitment of young men through street abductions, extortion and corruption, according to leaked documents and testimony from residents in Hpa-An, the capital of Karen state.
Authorities operate under orders to aggressively meet military recruitment quotas across jurisdictions, the BBC reported. Plain-clothed military members and supporters roam streets arresting people in their teens, 20s and 30s and forcing them into service. A 26-year-old tuk tuk driver told the BBC he and others must avoid going out after dark. "People are panicked and frightened. Some people I know have been taken," he said.
Myanmar enacted mandatory conscription in 2024 requiring men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve at least two years. Refusal carries up to five years in prison. An estimated 100,000 young recruits have been conscripted since early 2024, many through coercion and abduction.
Myanmar Witness, an open-source research organisation, analysed missing-person advertisements on Facebook from 2021 to 2025. Missing person notices for January jumped from four in 2021 to 82 in 2025. Men and boys comprised the majority of reported missing persons.
Maj Naung Yoe, a former military officer who defected to the anti-coup Civil Disobedience Movement, described the conscription law as "one of the most severe and impactful actions taken against the entire civilian population since the military coup." He documented methods including tracking young people's movements, arresting them, extorting money through detention threats and conducting guest-list inspections to identify targets.
A specific case illustrates the system. Ma Moe San Pan's 33-year-old husband Phyo Wai disappeared on May 8, 2025 after an argument. Her cousin, employed at a local ward administration office, brought him to that office. He was then sold to another ward for 4 million kyats ($900) to fill its recruitment quota and transferred to a military recruitment centre. U Maung Maung Lwin, the receiving ward's administrator, admitted to playing a role in sending Phyo Wai to military authorities and confirmed that transfers from other townships occur when local quotas cannot be met. He denied money changed hands, though Ma Moe San Pan's account suggests otherwise.
International rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights say Myanmar's military is abducting civilians and forcing them into service. The junta's conscription has bolstered its ranks as it fights ethnic militias, pro-democracy groups and civilian-led resistance movements in a civil war that began after the February 2021 coup ousting democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Many youths have fled to Thailand or relatives' homes to avoid conscription.