Young men in Hpa-An fear abduction for Myanmar army conscription

Nighttime terror in Hpa-An

In Hpa-An, the capital of southern Karen state, young and able-bodied people now avoid going out after dark. It’s become conventional wisdom in recent months. A 26-year-old tuk tuk driver, who asked not to be named for his safety, said he has no choice but to work. “I worry, but I have to go out to work,” he said.

His family calls constantly, reminding him not to drive passengers too far and to be careful who he takes. “I have to be vigilant all the time,” he added. People are panicked and frightened. He knows people who have been taken. Locals say plain-clothed junta members and their supporters roam the streets, making arbitrary arrests of people in their teens, twenties and thirties and forcing them into military service.

A conscription dragnet

Leaked documents seen by BBC Burmese show authorities have been ordered to aggressively fulfil military recruitment quotas across jurisdictions. The goal is to bolster junta ranks in a war of attrition against ethnic militias, pro-democracy groups and civilian-led resistance movements. The conscription law, enacted three years after the February 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, requires all men aged 18 to 35 and women 18 to 27 to serve at least two years. Refusers face up to five years in prison.

Major Naung Yoe, a former military officer who defected and joined the anti-coup Civil Disobedience Movement, called the law “one of the most severe and impactful actions taken against the entire civilian population since the military coup.” An estimated 100,000 young recruits have been ensnared in the past two-and-a-half years, many through coercion, extortion and abductions. “Security forces track young people’s movements to arrest them, force them into service under the pretext of statutory military eligibility, extort money through threats of detention, and arrest individuals during guest-list inspections,” Naung Yoe said.

Sold to fill a quota

In Yangon, Ma Moe San Pan last saw her husband Phyo Wai, 33, on 8 May 2025. After an argument, he left home. She asked her cousin, who worked at the local ward administration office, to bring him back. Two days later, Phyo Wai called from a military recruitment centre across the city. Her cousin had taken him to the ward office, which sold him to another ward for 4 million kyats to fill that ward’s quota. Ma Moe San Pan was later scammed out of 4.5 million kyats by strangers falsely promising his release.

U Maung Maung Lwin, administrator of the ward Phyo Wai was taken to, admitted his role in sending him to military recruitment authorities. Transfers from other townships occur when local quotas can’t be met, he said, but denied money was involved. Ma Moe San Pan said her husband was made to sign documents after being told they would help him. She could have accepted legal conscription through the normal process, she said. Researchers note that missing person notices rose from four in 2021 to 82 in 2025, with men and boys the majority. Much of the military’s recruitment is now through detention, coercion and disappearance rather than formal call-up.