Mizzima
A village administrator is demanding 7 million kyats from ta youth’s grandmother because he fled after being conscripted into the army, in Ingapu Township, in Ayeyarwady Region.
The incident happened in Kwinkaut Village, where the lottery to pick conscripts for the army has been happening since 20 March. According to villagers some of the people selected for conscription have fled and village administrators are now asking their families to pay compensation.
“A young man picked a lot saying that he had to serve in the military during the drawing of lots on 20 March at noon. But, he fled during the night of 23 March because he didn’t want to join the military. Because of this, the village administrator demanded 7 million kyats from the runaway young man’s grandmother on 24 March”, said a Kwinkaut villager.
Villagers added that those selected for conscription were coerced into signing contracts saying that the conscripts promised not to flee and that if they did their remaining family members would face legal repercussions.
On the morning of 24 March, the administrator of Kwinkaut Village convened a meeting where he told the villagers that they would also have to subsidise the new conscripts, though it was not mentioned how much the villagers would have to pay in subsidies.
The villagers have also been told there will be more conscription lotteries.
“The administrators said that we will have to conduct monthly lotteries to choose people for military duty. However, many young people have fled from the village”, said another villager.
Under the conscription law bought into force on 10 February 2024 men aged between 18 and 45 and women aged between 18 and 35 can be conscripted to serve a minimum of two years in the army. The army has said it wants to conscript 60,000 people a year into the army.
Population data to be used in conscription and selection of the first conscripts will be completed in April 2024 and the first batch of recruits will begin training in mid-April, according to a junta military spokesperson, who said they had a target of conscripting 5,000 people a month with women also being conscripted from the fifth batch onwards. He also said that workers and students who are currently abroad will have to return to do their military service.
Forced recruitment of soldiers is already underway in Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing, and Ayeyarwady regions.
