Junta Orders Paung Township to Provide 40 Recruits for Upcoming Conscription Training Batch 13

May 9, 2025

Local administrators in Paung Township, Mon State, report that the junta has ordered them to deliver at least 40 recruits for the upcoming Batch 13 of the People’s Military Service Training, expected to begin in the last week of May 2025. According to sources, village and ward administrators are under mounting pressure to meet this quota, with threats of punishment if they fail to comply.

“The order is clear: Paung Township must send 40 recruits for Batch 13,” said one local administrator who requested anonymity for security reasons. “Those of us who can’t meet the target are being threatened or blamed. Many are turning to questionable methods—some are even buying and handing over young men who have been detained for petty crimes.”

Paung Township includes 58 ward and village tracts and over 110 villages. During previous training cycles, the junta typically demanded at least 10 recruits per round. However, the new directive for 40 recruits has intensified the pressure on local authorities.

In response, some administrators are reportedly working with local police and military units to target young men who have been arrested for drug use or theft-related offenses. These individuals are being “purchased” for recruitment at prices ranging from 3.5 to 5 million MMK per person and handed over to conscription teams, sources confirm.

“It’s mostly about intimidation,” said someone close to township officials. “They tell these young men that if they don’t agree to conscription, they’ll face 7 years in prison for drug charges. But military service is only two years—and you get a salary. They also threaten to arrest family members if they resist. That’s how they force people into it.”

Information from independent media and research organizations indicates that since the junta began enforcing its conscription program, over 2,300 young men from Mon State have been forcibly recruited into the military from Training Batch 1 through Batch 12.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News