Over 40,000 Migrant Workers Caught in Myanmar Junta’s Conscription Trap

More than 40,000 migrant workers have been trapped in Myanmar since January, when the military regime banned civilians selected for conscription from leaving the country.

Under a bylaw introduced on Jan. 23, men selected for mandatory military service who have passed medicals and are on waiting lists for training are barred from travelling. The new rule has forced over 40,000 documented male workers, who were ready to leave the country for overseas jobs, to cancel travel plans.