As Myanmar’s military regime continues to struggle in its bloody battle against resistance forces, it is turning to the homeless population for reinforcements. Reports indicate that junta soldiers are forcibly conscripting rough sleepers, often in exchange for bribes paid by wealthy families seeking to avoid conscription of their sons.
BY Navin Upadhyay
The Myanmar military regime is forcibly rounding up homeless vagrants, including rough sleepers without shelter or food, and sending them to fight in the ongoing bloody battles across the country’s war-torn hills and jungles.”
According to residents in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, the military is targeting the homeless in its aggressive conscription drive. Until recently, homeless people were a common sight at the Mandalay Central Railway Station, hospitals, parks, markets, and near shopping malls. However, their presence has dramatically declined as military patrols scour the city for potential recruits.
“We rarely see people living on the streets anymore. We’ve heard that junta soldiers are snatching them and forcing them into the military,” a local resident told The Irrawaddy.
The military junta has imposed blockades, exacerbating malnutrition and illness particularly among pregnant women and children. In fact, abt 6 million children across #Burma are facing a life-threatening humanitarian crisis from food and medical shortages. https://t.co/88j7Xt8kyn
— US Campaign 4 Burma (@uscb) January 20, 2025
The conscription drive has also extended to street children, residents added. Wealthy families are reportedly bribing junta officials with payments of 2 to 5 million kyats (approximately $950-$2,380) to have their sons removed from the conscription list. This has led to a grim “substitution market” where homeless people and migrant workers are being forced to take their place.
Charity workers estimate that Mandalay’s homeless population stood at around 100,000 before the 2021 coup but has since dropped to 60,000, according to figures from the Mandalay Region Social Welfare Department.
“Many young homeless individuals have ended up in the military. Police and local officials detain them to make money. Some are even issued fake citizenship IDs before being sent to military camps, which is tantamount to human trafficking,” said an activist working with street children in Chanmyathzi Township.’
The military junta has imposed blockades, exacerbating malnutrition and illness particularly among pregnant women and children. In fact, abt 6 million children across #Burma are facing a life-threatening humanitarian crisis from food and medical shortages. https://t.co/88j7Xt8kyn
— US Campaign 4 Burma (@uscb) January 20, 2025
A local business owner added that some homeless individuals, previously involved in petty crimes, have become enforcers for junta officials and militias, earning homes and cars in return for their loyalty.
Despite the junta’s claims of implementing programs to protect street children, humanitarian workers say such efforts are hollow. Before the coup, charity groups provided basic education to street children, but many of these workers have fled or been arrested since the military seized power.
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The regime revived the long-dormant Conscription Law in February last year after facing significant losses in combat. The law mandates two years of military service for all men aged 18 to 35. Though the military initially stated it would recruit conscripts in batches of 5,000, reports suggest the actual numbers far exceed this, with individuals being forcibly taken from homes and streets.
The country’s brutal civil war, which erupted in the wake of the February 2021 military coup, has continued to ravage Myanmar, with widespread fighting between the military and pro-democracy resistance groups. Armed ethnic militias and newly formed People’s Defense Forces (PDF) have been intensifying their resistance against the junta, and the regime has struggled to regain control over swathes of territory, particularly in the rural and border regions. These clashes have left thousands dead, displaced millions, and caused immense human suffering, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
The Myanmar military is facing a severe manpower shortage, and as a result, is resorting to extreme measures like recruiting vulnerable homeless populations to fill the ranks. This desperate strategy to bolster its forces highlights the growing pressure the regime is under as its forces continue to battle entrenched opposition and struggle to quell the uprising. The ninth batch of recruits began military training on Monday, fueling fears of an intensifying human rights crisis in Myanmar. The continuing war and the forced conscription of marginalized individuals signal a grim future for the people of Myanmar as the conflict drags on with no end in sight.
