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The Enlistment of Women

April 23, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta It has now been over four years since the military junta attempted a coup. During this time, there has been widespread resistance and stark opposition to the regime’s brutality. Despite the fact that the coup was unlawful, even according to the military-drafted constitution, the junta has continued […]

Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

April 22, 2025/in News

The exiled civilian government vowed to ‘punish’ the military regime for its violent crimes against the public. Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese. A three-day onslaught of junta-launched airstrikes across four major areas spanning much of Myanmar’s central plains killed 50 people and injured nearly 80, sources told Radio Free Asia. Myanmar’s junta, which seized power […]

The Enlistment of Women

April 23, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

April 22, 2025/in News

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

The Enlistment of Women

April 23, 2025/in Briefing Papers, ND-Burma's Reports

Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta

It has now been over four years since the military junta attempted a coup. During this time, there has been widespread resistance and stark opposition to the regime’s brutality. Despite the fact that the coup was unlawful, even according to the military-drafted constitution, the junta has continued to violate international norms and principles by launching violent attacks against the opposition. Ethnic communities, in particular, have been terrorized by the junta’s relentless gunfire in their villages and temporary shelters, even in the absence of armed actors.

More than 3.5 million people have been displaced since the failed coup. Children are being denied safe pathways to education, as schools are routinely bombed in aerial raids and bombardments. Families are struggling to find work to sustain their livelihoods due to the presence of military soldiers and landmines surrounding their homes and farms.

With dwindling access to food due to inflation and a lack of work opportunities, many who have been displaced have resorted to foraging and relying on local vegetation for sustenance.

The attacks by the Burmese Army are increasing as local people are being accused of harbouring soldiers from the armed resistance. Military checkpoints are also being frequently expanded and established in various parts of the country, especially along popular routes, where individuals are questioned, extorted, and often disappear.

Many of the men and women who are stopped and interrogated find themselves being forcibly enlisted as part of the junta’s unlawful conscription efforts.

The People’s Military Service Law mandates conscription but had not been enforced for over a decade. However, last year, the junta began implementing it for the first time since it was passed, requiring men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to enlist.

The timing of its enactment is indicative of the junta’s desperation amid its increasing losses on the battlefield. Reports from the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), suggest that conscripted individuals, often youths, are deployed to front-line battles and forced to fight under the threat of violence.2 Though the law has now been in effect for over a year, regulations of the People’s Military Service Law were only recently passed in January2025, with several updates made.

FINAL_NBD_Women Conscription Download

Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

April 22, 2025/in News

The exiled civilian government vowed to ‘punish’ the military regime for its violent crimes against the public.

Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese.

A three-day onslaught of junta-launched airstrikes across four major areas spanning much of Myanmar’s central plains killed 50 people and injured nearly 80, sources told Radio Free Asia.

Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in 2021, faces resistance from dozens of militias seeking autonomy. In response to insurgent attacks, the military has bombed villages suspected of sheltering rebels, often killing dozens of civilians.

In the latest assaults, the junta killed 20 people in Singu township’s Kyi Tauk Pauk village and Thabeikkyin township’s Leik Kya and Yae Htwet villages in Manadalay region between Friday and Sunday.

“A 500-pound bomb fell. Four men and two women were injured, only those who were middle-aged,” said a Kyi Tauk Pauk resident, declining to be named for security reasons, adding that three dormitories at the local school were destroyed when a junta plane attacked around 2 p.m. on Friday.

The airstrike on Leik Kya village killed 12 civilians, including one child, three women and eight men, and injured three others, said a member of a local Pyinoolwin militia under the arm of the exiled civilian National Unity Government, or NUG.

The plane came from Meiktila Air Base, on the border of Shan state and Mandalay region, dropping one 300-pound bomb and opening fire on the village, said a member of the militia, declining to be named for security reasons.

Similarly, Saturday afternoon’s attacks on Yae Htwet left 24 people dead and nearly 20 injured when two bombs struck the village, residents said, adding that the death toll is likely to rise as many people are critically injured.

Several young children were also killed in the attack, said one resident, declining to be named for security reasons.

‘Ceasefire’

The NUG announced on Monday it would take all actions necessary to punish military for its violent crimes against the public. Despite ceasefires declared by both the junta and NUG following the country’s March 28 earthquake that left thousands dead, struggles for territory, ending in junta bombings, have continued.

Other attacks also targeted villages across Rakhine state and Sagaing region. Both are considered to be hotbeds of insurgent activity under both NUG-led militias and the Arakan Army, which has captured 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships in its fight for self-determination.

Junta airstrikes on a residential ward of Rakhine’s Kyauktaw town, which remains under military control, on Saturday afternoon. killed two civilians and injured 20 others, including three children, residents said.

A junta plane attacked a monastery in Mon state’s Bilin township on Saturday morning during a religious ceremony. The airstrike killed 10-year-old monk Kaylatha, 60-year-old Ma Wai and 69-year-old Hla Myint, the rebel administration Karen National Union, which controls parts of Kayin and Mon states, announced on Sunday. Nine more civilians were injured.

In Sagaing region, two bombs dropped on a store in Thin Taw village on Sunday evening killed six family members, said one resident, who requested to remain unnamed for fear of reprisals.

“One bomb hit the store exactly and killed the whole family,” he said. “They were all just civilians, three men, three women, all dead.”

He listed the family members as 20-year-old Mi Thay; 30-year-old Min Min; Khin Ma, who was around 50 years old; and also Kyaw Min Kyi; Phone Maw; and a woman known as ‘Mrs. Saw,’ all identified without ages.

Two other men were injured in the attack, residents said.

In Myinmu township, junta forces bombed a camp for internally displaced people on Saturday morning, killing three civilians and injuring eight others, residents said, identifying them as displaced people including three-year-old Su Myat, 17-year-old May Zun Oo and 69-year-old Tin Maung.

Four others were injured including a five-year-old child, they said.

Junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun has not responded to RFA’s inquiries.

RFA News

Spring Revolution

Civil Society Position Paper on ASEAN’s Goal of a Myanmar-Owned and -Led SolutionDecember 18, 2024 - 12:11 pm
Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]
Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 15 to 21, 2024)September 27, 2024 - 8:26 am
Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 15 to 21, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State, and Kachin State from September 15th to 21st. The Military Junta committed arresting, occupying the properties, threatening by using power, and […]

Multimedia

GenocideSeptember 2, 2025 - 9:42 am
Crimes Against HumanityJune 16, 2025 - 7:55 am
International Humanitarian Law Cartoon AnimatonApril 29, 2025 - 8:37 am
အတိတ်မှ ဆိုးရွားသည့် အကြီးအကျယ် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးချိုးဖောက်မှုများ ထပ်မံမဖြစ်ပွားစေရေးအ တွက် အာမခံခြင်း (Guarantees of non-recurrence)February 10, 2025 - 9:58 am

ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscriptionby the Military Junta

‘Ceasefire’

ND Burma

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Gendered Impacts of Forced Conscription
by the Military Junta