Despite conscripting youths into its own army, the Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA) said that it would take decisive action against junta administrators conscripting people into the Myanmar Army.
The statement was made on 19 March after the TNLA said that it had received complaints and requests for help from members of the public, following the junta’s recruitment drive in the northern Shan State townships of Lashio, Hsipaw, Kyaukme, Nawnghkio, Mogok, and Mongmit.
According to the TNLA, junta ward, village and village tract administrators have been told how many recruits they must supply and some of those administrators are already conscripting people.
The TNLA has responded by saying that it will severely punish any junta administrators who work towards conscripting people.
The junta announced on 10 February 2024 that it was bringing into force the conscription Law that was initially drafted in 2010 but not ratified.
Under the law all men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 are liable to be conscripted into the Myanmar Army for two years. People that the junta deems to have specialist skills, such as doctors, can be conscripted between the ages of 18 and 45 for men and 18 to 35 for women and they will have to serve three years, instead of two. Everyone’s military service can also be extended up to five years.
Ironically, the TNLA announced its own conscription drive on 7 February 2024.
The TNLA requires that all Ta’ang families send one man, aged between 16 and 35 years old to serve in the TNLA.
Women from families with more than three siblings are also expected to enlist, although women working as Ta’ang civil society organisations (CSO) committee members, or those with family members working as CSO committee members are exempt. Monks and people with poor health are also exempt from conscription.
The TNLA does not conscript non ethnic Ta’ang people, but it is happy to accept volunteers from other ethnic groups.
On 1 March, Frontier reported that the TNLA had practiced different forms of forced conscription since it was founded in 2009 and that the TNLA had informally practiced conscription, as laid out in the Feb 2024 policy, since 2017. Conscripts would usually serve as under the TNLA until death.
An anonymous TNLA official stated that forced recruitment remained unpopular amongst Ta’ang people, but stated that it was necessary in order to build a strong Ta’ang nation.
In recent times, a TNLA recruit in Kutkai Township stated that families were sending more accomplished siblings for conscription with the hope they were better able to contribute to the Ta’ang cause.
