Narinjara news
New Conscription for
the Burmese Army
Maungdaw, 20 February: Forced conscriptions into the Burmese
Army have been reported from
Maung Than Naing Tun (18), son of U Than Win of Bo Ba
Chouk Street,
In recent days there has been increased forced conscription into the armed
services, resulting obviously from an alarming rise in desertion from the armed
services said a source in the army. Previously a large number of Rakhine
nationals joined the army finding no job opportunity in the state and because
of rampant use of forced labour and forced relocation, resulting from wholesale
militarization across the state, he added.
With shrinking sources of income, there is a rising rate of jobless people in
the countryside, our correspondent said. At present the number of regulars
deserting the military services has gone up due to meagre salary and poor
working conditions in the barracks. Becoming desperate, the
Burmese junta have been leasing out even rivers and creeks in the state for the
collection of money for the upkeep of the families of the members of the armed
services. As a knock-on effect the move has also left a huge number of
fishermen, estimated at 80 percent, jobless in the state, he concluded.
In an official order issued last month by the Nasaka border security forces
Headquarters at Kyi-gan-byin, each of the nine Nasaka circles have been
directed to conscript at least five people from each of the respective Nasaka
circles. The servicemen willing to go on pension have also been
instructed to find two new recruits to replace them, the sources said.
In the village tracts in and around Punnagyun and Kyauktaw Townsips on the