- People Spring
Newly conscripted soldiers from Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Region, who were recently deployed to the conflict-ridden Arakan (Rakhine) State, have reportedly lost contact with their families, with no information available despite multiple inquiries from loved ones, according to local sources.
In February 2024, coup Military Council enacted a conscription law mandating military service, with authorities beginning to enlist young men from various townships across the country, including Ayeyarwady Region. These recruits, after undergoing military training, have been sent to the frontlines in Arakan State. Since August, many of them have been transported via the Nga Thaing Chaung-Gwa Road to face heavy combat in Arakan State.
A resident from Danubyu Township in Ayeyarwady Region said, “My son agreed to replace someone who had paid 2 million MMK to avoid military service. I could contact him at first, but it’s been two months since we last spoke. When I tried to inquire at the military camp, they turned me away at the gate.”
Conscripts are usually selected by a lottery system, but in some regions, individuals who wish to avoid conscription can pay a substitute to take their place, a practice the authorities typically overlook, despite it not being officially allowed.
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Danubyu Township has seen a surge in conscription, with up to 300 young men recruited weekly, most of whom are sent to Arakan State. Nearby towns, such as Zalun, Hinthada, Ahtaung, and Sharge, have also seen mass recruitments, with soldiers losing contact with their families once deployed to the frontlines.
Recruits from Ayeyarwady Region receive training at the Hinthada Township’s No. 5 Advanced Military Training Depot and the No. 6 Basic Training Depot in Pathein Township. A resident from Natmaw village in Hinthada Township said, “During training, they could still contact us, but now there’s no way to reach them, and the Military Council remains silent on their whereabouts. The local ward administrator doesn’t care when we ask.”
In Natmaw village, located near the Military Council’s Infantry Battalion 18, young men are often pressured into enlisting. “A vendor’s son from Natmaw joined the military, and we later heard he died in combat, but we’ve received no other information,” another local said.
Some conscripts have fled before beginning their training, while others who completed their training have been deployed not only to Arakan State but also to Sagaing Region, where fighting remains intense. According to the Arakan Army (AA), these newly recruited soldiers have been heavily involved in combat, suffering losses in key battles, including in Maungdaw and at the Maung Shwe Lay naval base in Thandwe.
Sagaing Region has also seen fierce clashes, particularly in the fight for control over Pinlebu Town. Many conscripts from Ayeyarwady, as well as porters forced by the Military Council, were reportedly among those who surrendered to local defense forces in August.
Some youths from Ayeyarwady are fighting alongside armed organizations such as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Karen National Union (KNU), the AA and the People’s Defense Force (PDF) factions in Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, and Bago regions. However, Ayeyarwady itself lacks significant armed resistance, making it a relatively weak region in terms of revolutionary activity.
With the AA advancing closer to Gwa Town, which borders Ayeyarwady Region, there are growing concerns that the conflict could spill into the region. In response, security has been heightened in townships bordering Arakan State, including Ngathaingchaung, Kyankhin, and Hinthada District’s Kyonpyaw and Kyankhin townships, where local militias aligned with the Military Council have been mobilized.
The AA is now focusing on seizing the remaining Military Council bases across Arakan State, specifically targeting key positions in Gwa, Ann, Taungup, and Maungdaw townships, where clashes have intensified dramatically in recent weeks.
