GPS News
WAR REPORT
Myanmar junta enforces military service law following battlefield losses
Myanmar junta enforces military service law following battlefield losses
by AFP Staff Writers
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) Feb 10, 2024

Myanmar's junta is enforcing a law allowing the military to summon all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve for at least two years, it said on Saturday, as it struggles to crush opposition to its 2021 coup.

The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil since the military takeover in February of that year, which ended a ten-year experiment with democracy and sparked mass protests and a crackdown on dissent.

Three years on, the junta is struggling to crush widespread armed opposition to its rule and recently suffered a series of stunning losses to an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups.

The junta "issued the notification of the effectiveness of People's Military Service Law starting from February 10th, 2024," the junta's information team said in a statement.

The law was authored by a previous junta in 2010 but was never brought into force.

Saturday's statement did not give further details but said the junta's defence ministry would "release necessary bylaws, procedures, announcements orders, notifications and instructions."

It did not give details on how those called up would be expected to serve.

The junta has previously said it is taking measures to arm pro-military militias as it battles opponents across the country.

A "national military service system involving all people is essential because of the situation happening in our country," junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said in an audio message released by the information team.

Under the former law the age bracket for "skilled" men and women was 18-45 years and 18-35 years respectively, although details on "skilled" were left vague.

That law also had a stipulation that during a state of emergency, the terms of service can be extended up to five years and those ignoring summons to serve can be jailed for the same period.

The Myanmar junta announced a state of emergency when it seized power in 2021, with the army recently extending it for a further six months.

- Crackdown -

Since the coup, pro-democracy "People's Defence Forces" have enlisted tens of thousands of young recruits and are taking the fight to the junta across swathes of the country.

In late October, an alliance of ethnic minority fighters launched a surprise offensive in northern Shan state, capturing territory and taking control of lucrative trade routes to China.

The success of the northern offensive and the military's failure to mount a counter-attack has dented morale among low- and mid-level officers, according to several military sources contacted by AFP, all of whom requested anonymity.

More than 4,500 people have been killed in the military's crackdown on dissent and over 26,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group.

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
Three dead in Israeli strikes near Syrian capital: monitor
Beirut (AFP) Feb 10, 2024
Israeli air strikes that targeted a building in an upscale area near the Syrian capital killed three people early Saturday, a war monitor said. State media reported that Syrian air defences responded to an Israeli "air attack". Since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbour, mainly targeting Iran-backed forces, including Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions. The strikes have increased since Israel's war with Ham ... read more

WAR REPORT
Temperatures are rising, but soil is getting wetter - why?

Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland, locations raise concerns

Climate change parches Morocco breadbasket amid policy pitfalls

Meloni restores tax breaks after farmer protests reach Colosseum

WAR REPORT
Researchers show classical computers can keep up with, and surpass, their quantum counterparts

Technique could improve the sensitivity of quantum sensing devices

Combining materials may support unique superconductivity for quantum computing

Magnesium protects tantalum, a promising material for making qubits

WAR REPORT
Possible war crimes cited as Netherlands' supply of F-35 parts to Israel ruled illegal

Collins Aerospace delivers ATNAVICS to enhance US Air Force Operations

US Air Force to test Pratt and Whitney's Next-Gen Adaptive Propulsion Prototype

With Argentina's help, U.S. seizes Boeing 747 used by Iran's military

WAR REPORT
Electric cars can't advertise as 'zero emissions': UK body

Japan's electric vehicle transition by 2035 may be insufficient to combat the climate crisis, but there are solutions

California vandals light self-driving taxi on fire

France suspends subsidised electric car scheme after surge

WAR REPORT
Asian markets mixed as traders return, eyes on US data

Hong Kong court orders liquidation of China's Evergrande

Asian equity rally fades despite Wall St records sparked by US data

Holiday-hit Asian markets mixed, Wall St record fails to inspire

WAR REPORT
New mayor hopes trees will cool Athens down

China-funded nickel hub stoking deforestation on Indonesia island: report

Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought

Soil fungi may help explain the global gradient in forest diversity

WAR REPORT
ASIA-AQ Mission: A Multidimensional Approach to Understanding Air Pollution

Rahul Ramachandran's Insights on AI's Role in Earth Science

MethaneSAT Set to Transform Global Methane Emission Tracking with Advanced Technology

Next-Gen Weather Satellite Set to Enhance Global Military Operations

WAR REPORT
Researchers unveil novel technique for creating atomically thin nanoscrolls

MIT.nano equipment to accelerate innovation in "tough tech" sectors

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.