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Myanmar’s junta has declared compulsory military service for all young men and women, said Myanmar state media. Ruling military Junta in Myanmar struggles to contain armed rebel forces fighting for greater autonomy in various parts of the country. The Junta yesterday activated for the first time the 2010 People’s Military Service Law. Under the conscription law, passed during previous military rule, males between the ages of 18 and 45 and females between 18 and 35 can be drafted into the armed forces for two years, extendable to five years during national emergencies. The Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, is struggling to contain the nationwide biggest armed resistance since it seized power in 2021.
Since October, the Tatmadaw has suffered personnel losses while battling a coordinated offensive known as ‘Operation 1027’ by an alliance of three ethnic insurgent groups, ‘Three Brotherhood Alliance’. Apart from that ‘People’s Defence Forces’ formed after the coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government who have launched renewed attacks against the junta. Analysts are of the opinion that the Tatmadaw is struggling to recruit soldiers and has begun forcing non-combat personnel to the frontline. The Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told state media that the duty to safeguard and defend the nation extends beyond just the soldiers but to all citizens.