Myanmar regime targets returning migrants with conscription pledge

A group of Myanmar migrant workers depart Yangon International Airport for Japan in October 2025. (Photo: Regime media)

The regime in Naypyidaw has introduced strict new measures targeting returning overseas migrant workers, requiring those who re-enter the country on leave or short family visits to sign a formal pledge agreeing to submit to mandatory military service if summoned by authorities.

Labor rights advocacy networks and migrant support organizations warn that this requirement leaves returning workers facing high risks of being trapped inside Myanmar or subjected to immediate conscription.

Moe Gyo, chairperson of the Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs (JACBA), highlighted that both male and female returning workers face severe risks of forced military recruitment upon crossing back over the border.

Under the regime’s enforced “People’s Military Service Law,” military service is mandatory for men aged 18–35 and women aged 18–27 for up to two years, while specialists such as medical doctors aged up to 45 face terms of up to three years.

The National Unity Government (NUG) reports that approximately 135,080 men have been conscripted across 27 training intakes as the regime attempts to offset heavy battlefield attrition.