"Myanmar Junta's Conscription Law Sparks Mass Exodus Fears"
Myanmar's military is facing significant manpower shortages due to months of fighting against rebels, prompting the junta to announce a conscription plan for the first time in its history. The plan will require men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve for up to two years, with specialists like doctors serving for three years. Analysts and defectors have noted a decline in troop strength and officer enlistments, as well as a rise in defections due to fatigue, demoralization, and shortages of basic supplies. The military's battlefield defeats have led to public calls for the Commander-in-Chief to step down, and despite the conscription plan, the military may struggle to rapidly ramp up its manpower.
- Myanmar junta's conscription plan lays bare toll of fighting rebels Reuters
- Myanmar Junta to Enforce Military Draft The New York Times
- Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta's Conscription Law The Irrawaddy
- Thousands seek to leave Myanmar after military service announcement CNA
- Myanmar says newly activated conscription law will draft 5,000 people a month. Some think of fleeing PBS NewsHour
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