Departments of Myanmar Junta Forging Documents for Conscription Replacements, Official Admits
Myanmar junta departments are facilitating the abduction and forced drafting of random civilians by forging identity documents for replacement conscripts, according to the regime's own immigration minister.
During a September 29 meeting in Taunggyi, Shan State, Immigration Minister U Myint Kyaing acknowledged that government personnel were helping forge household registration lists and identity cards to satisfy conscription quotas.
Local ward and village administrators are reportedly targeting men aged 18 to 35 from outside their communities through financial incentives or forced abductions. When recruits refuse to serve or lack identification, administrative offices forcibly register them under household lists belonging to unrelated local families.
In several instances, township committees forged documents to register underage children as adults for military service.
According to U Myint Kyaing, officials across multiple agencies—including the Ministry of Home Affairs, General Administration Department, Immigration Department, Health Department, and Myanmar Police Force—have been involved in falsifying records.
He urged authorities to halt document forgery and stop drafting individuals randomly detained without national identification cards.
A Mon State resident told Than Lwin Times that officials are resorting to illegal measures due to widespread public resistance to the draft.
“Grassroots recruiters care only about meeting their quotas,” the resident said. “If they cannot persuade people, they use force. The junta claims it follows conscription laws, but on the ground, nobody wants to serve. Recruiters resort to any tactic available to hit their numbers.”
Facing severe troop shortages from resistance attacks, the regime relies on conscription lotteries in local wards. Wealthier individuals often pay significant sums to secure replacements, creating a lucrative black market. Finding a substitute recruit can cost millions to tens of millions of Myanmar kyats, according to Burma News International–Myanmar Peace Monitor (BNI-MPM).
Data from the Yangon Scout Network reveals that over 570 young civilians were unlawfully abducted across 33 Yangon townships between January and August, with nearly half seized while traveling on public roads.
In response, the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) Ministry of Defense urged individuals facing forced recruitment to flee to resistance-controlled territories or go abroad, while advising those unavoidably drafted to desert at the first opportunity.
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