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Forced to Enlist: The Impacts of Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma

Introduction

Since the attempted military coup nearly four years ago on 1 February 2024, Burma has experienced increasingly widespread human rights abuses perpetrated by the military. Among these violations, the enforcement of a forced conscription law has emerged as a brutal tool of control, primarily targeting young men and women across the country.

This report, Forced to Enlist: The Impact of Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma, will provide a detailed analysis of these abuses, focusing specifically on the Mon, Karen, and Tanintharyi regions—areas where the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has extensively documented the impact of these practices in Southern Burma.  Additional reporting supports our findings, as detailed in HURFOM’s May 2024 briefing paper, ‘Forced to Fight: Military Conscription in Southeastern Burma.’

The forced conscription law has not only infringed on the fundamental rights of individuals but has also spread fear and intimidation throughout communities, leading to the mass displacement of civilians. Throughout southeastern Burma and much of the nation, the junta’s aggressive conscription efforts have faced strong resistance. Those who have courageously opposed the military are met with severe consequences such as imprisonment, torture, and even death.

The long-term consequences of the forced conscription policies for regional stability in Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi Region are severe and multifaceted. The disruption of social structures, the psychological trauma inflicted on individuals and communities, and the resulting displacement and migration have all contributed to an environment of instability that will be difficult to overcome.

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“Culture in the Crosshairs: How the Junta is Systematically Targeting Human Rights Culture with Military Impunity”

New Briefing Paper, Human Rights Foundation of Monland

Introduction

For nearly three years, the Burma Army has attempted to distort reality and its perception on the global stage as the government and legitimize representatives of the country. The junta’s illusions have not fooled the people, who reject the military junta as any entity of authority and leadership. As the regime continues and fails to seek recognition, they are also losing a war they have been embroiled in for decades. 

In stark retaliation for lost bases and control, civilians have been targeted in a widespread campaign to demoralize support for the opposition. In Karen State alone, at least 700,000 people have been internally displaced since 1 February 2021. The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has been documenting human rights violations in Mon State, Karen State and the Tanintharyi region and has continuously presented evidence of military impunity. Of the dozens of cases recorded, no victim has seen justice. The security, safety, and stability of civilian livelihoods have dramatically decreased across all target areas. 

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The Human Rights Foundation of Monland Releases a New Report: 

“The Resistance and Resilience of Civilians in Southeastern Burma: Human Rights Violations in Southeastern Burma from January to June 2023”

HURFOM

Today, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) releases a new report, “The Resistance and Resilience of Civilians in Southeastern Burma: Human Rights Violations in Southeastern Burma from January to June 2023.”  Our findings indicate an overview of the rights landscape in HURFOM target areas of Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi region during the year’s first six months. It also details the admirable and deeply courageous acts of resistance exemplified by people of all ethnicities, genders, and religions in Southeastern Burma in response to the violence waged by the military junta.

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19 Civil Society Organizations release a new report, “Civil Disobedience Movement: A Foundation of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution and Force behind Military’s Failed Coup”

On May 25, 2023, 19 Civil Society Organizations, including the Human Rights Foundation of Monland HURFOM as a co-author, joined hands together on the release of a new report, “Civil Disobedience Movement: A Foundation of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution and Force behind Military’s Failed Coup” and called for the support for the CDM Activists. 

• The Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in Myanmar has evolved from a reaction, or a withdrawal from and non-cooperation with the military, to a movement that is building a federal democracy through people power that is stronger, more diverse and inclusive than any previous people’s movements in Myanmar.
• The international community must reassess their support for the Spring Revolution. This requires challenging conventional notions of a Human Rights Defender so that it can evolve to recognize and support the CDM.

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The Human Rights Foundation of Monland Releases a New Report, “We Dare Not Return,” Displacement and the Denial of Human Rights in Southeastern Burma 

For Immediate Release

7 March 2023: Today, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) releases a new report, “We Dare Not Return,” Displacement and the Denial of Human Rights in Southeastern Burma. The report includes an analysis of the current situation in our respective target areas of Southeastern Burma throughout 2022. The findings draw on interviews with emergency response teams, survivors, and witnesses of the attacks. The Burma Army committed all the crimes documented in the report with complete and total impunity. They are widespread, systematic and indicative of a worsening pattern of violence. 

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New Briefing Paper: “We Cannot Move Freely,” The Impacts of Martial Law on Civilians in Southeastern Burma

HURFOM: Since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021, armed clashes between the military junta and armed opposition groups have increased across the country. In Southeastern Burma, the frequency of the fighting has displaced thousands and led to mass instability. The Karen and Mon armed groups are battling the junta in an ongoing bid for ethnic autonomy that has been amassed for decades. 

While fighting occurs, civilians are forced to confront widespread instability, which has devastated their livelihoods. Unable to work or travel safely impedes their fundamental human rights, including freedom of movement. The current circumstances have led to desolate conditions for civilians who are significantly impacted by the toll of heavy fighting.

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“The junta wiped us out again”:
Socio-economic impacts post-coup in Southeastern Burma

HURFOM: Today, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), releases our latest report: “The junta wiped us out again”: Socio-economic impacts post-coup in Southeastern Burma. Our findings confirm that the Burma Army has deliberately derailed prospects for democracy in the country and has embarked on a campaign of targeted and wide-spread abuse in an attempt to terrorize the population into submission. Their volatile and unlawful actions have resulted in widespread displacement resulting in a refugee crisis alongside crippling social and economic impacts on innocent civilians. In areas of Mon State, Karen State and Tanintharyi region, the military junta has continued to act with impunity. HURFOM condemns the ongoing attacks and calls for immediate international intervention.

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HURFOM Releases a New Briefer, “The Rise of Pro-Junta Militias in Southeastern Burma “

HURFOM: Today, the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), releases a new briefing paper, “The Rise of Pro-Junta Militias in Southeastern Burma.” Our latest briefer finds evidence of increasing violence perpetrated against civilians since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021 by newly formed paramilitias in Mon State, Karen State and Tanintharyi region. These armed groups are trained and fully supported by the military junta. They have access to weapons and are incentivized through moral and monetary support by the illegal regime. View full PDF

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HURFOM Marks the 73rd annual International Human Rights Day by Releasing a New Briefing Paper, “Trajectory of Terror,” which finds dozens of human rights violations committed by the Burma Army in Mon State, Karen State, and Tanintharyi region

HURFOM: Ten months of terror have passed since the Burma Army orchestrated a failed coup on 1 February. “Trajectory of Terror,” is a new briefing paper by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) which outlines human rights violations committed in Mon State, Karen State and the Tanintharyi region perpetrated by the military junta between the end of February until the end of November 2021. Military impunity is emboldening the junta to commit more atrocities.

On Human Rights Day, HURFOM expresses grave concern over the lack of safety civilians are being forced to contend with amid the junta’s dark crusade for power and control. HURFOM calls for an immediate forfeiting of powers by the Burmese military and an end to the violence which has killed hundreds and injured many more, including the elderly, women and children. [Download in English]

The human rights situation in Burma has spiraled out of control. The increased violence and negligence wielded by the military Generals has left millions without food and shelter. Civilians do not feel safe in the country. Homes are being looted, and villages are being burned to the ground in deliberate acts of arson by the junta. Members of political opposition parties and human rights defenders have been forced into hiding. Children are being denied the right to be educated safely as military soldiers roam schools and use classrooms as bases. Livelihoods have been crippled as landmines litter farms and encircle villages, making leaving for food and work a life or death prospect. This sabotage of survival has been brought on willfully by the Burma Army.

HURFOM fieldworkers have spoken to witnesses on the ground who detailed arbitrary arrests, abductions and assaults on fundamental freedoms of residents in our target areas. The violence has created an unstable environment where hundreds are fleeing persecution and fearful for what their futures hold.

A response by the international community which meets the gravity of the peril’s civilians are being confronted with on a daily basis is long overdue. As the year ends, it is with the most profound urgency that HURFOM reiterates calls of our network and allies to respond to the many crises which are worsening daily.

Media Contact
Nai Aue Mon, HURFOM Program Director, Email: info@rehmonnya.org, Signal: +66 86 167 9741

HURFOM was founded by exiled pro-democracy students from the 1988 uprisings, recent activists and Mon community leaders and youth. Its primary objective is the restoration of democracy, human rights and genuine peace in Burma. HURFOM is a non-profit organization, and all its members are volunteers with a shared vision for peace in the country.

New Briefing Paper by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland Condemns Privacy Violations & Increased Surveillance by the Junta

HURFOM: A new briefing paper by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), “We have lost our private sphere:” the infringement of privacy rights under the military junta in Mon State, Karen State and Tanintharyi region, finds civilian rights to privacy have been eroded by the power-seeking junta. Since the attempted coup on 1 February, the regime has taken steps to extend their authority into civilian homes and their personal devices. Through premeditated amendments to Burma’s legal framework, the junta has endeavored to justify their assault on fundamental privacy rights.

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