Women of conscription age are being registered for conscription in Mong Hsat Town, in eastern Shan State’s Mong Hsat Township, in preparation for the first round of women’s conscription.

All men of conscription age have already been registered or are in the process of being registered for conscription. The junta then selects those to be conscripted from the names on the register. Once women are registered they could be conscripted at any time.

A Mong Hsat Town resident said to Shan Herald: “In the past, women were registered mainly for the population census. However, since January, the process has shifted to focus on identifying women of conscription age. It’s uncertain how it will unfold, but there are rumours that those selected through a lottery system will be drafted into the military. I’ve heard that conscripted women will have to serve unless they can find a replacement. No one wants to be drafted, so everyone is in distress.”

A woman from the town said that Parents are very concerned by reports that the junta will begin conscripting women into the military, according to a woman from Mong Hsat Town who remarked that such concerns will only add to the existing hardships that the town’s population already faces, such as insufficient income, job insecurity and livelihood challenges. These concerns have caused people of conscription age to flee.

The woman said to Shan Herald: “In the past, conscription registrations only targeted men. Those who could afford it solved the issue by hiring substitutes. Now, women are also being registered, and parents are deeply worried. Some young people have gone abroad to avoid conscription, while others have joined militia groups.”

The junta began enforcing the conscription law on 10 February 2024 and currently for men, nationally, the ninth round of conscription is underway. There have been four rounds of conscription for men held in Mong Hsat, so far.

Until now, no women have been included in conscription rounds, but due to a shortage of manpower it seems that the junta will now start recruiting women.

Women members of junta-aligned militias have reportedly already been deployed in combat roles in Mobye (Mongpai) Township, in southern Shan State on the border with Karenni State, according to frontline resistance sources there.