In southern Shan State, Myanmar’s military junta is aggressively enforcing conscription under its 15th batch of mandatory military service, leaving families with an impossible choice: send their sons to fight or pay exorbitant sums to secure their freedom.

Since late June, residents in Taunggyi and surrounding townships have reported that local authorities are demanding up to 80 million kyats (approximately USD 1,800) per person for exemption, a crippling amount for most in the impoverished region.

“Every ward in Taunggyi is summoning young people for military service. If you refuse, the price is 80 million kyats. For a family with three eligible sons, that’s 240 million, an unthinkable burden, like a life sentence,” a Taunggyi resident told SHAN on condition of anonymity.

The military’s so-called “lottery” system has expanded across multiple townships, including Loilem, Namsang, Hopong, Ywangan, and even Mong Tong in eastern Shan State. While students, government employees, and religious leaders are temporarily exempt, ordinary youths face a grim ultimatum: enlist or pay.

In some cases, authorities are resorting to outright deception. On June 20, in Taunggyi’s Sao San Htun Ward, police and local administrators detained ten young men under the guise of conducting a census. A relative of one detainee said they have had no contact since the arrest.

“They claimed it was just data collection, but they took my brother and others. The administrator’s office denies any knowledge, but before he disappeared, my brother said they’d been forcibly conscripted,” the relative revealed.

In Hopong Township, villagers describe similar coercion. “The message is clear: pay or be taken. Even if two people are selected, the entire village must pool 100 million kyats to spare them,” one local explained. “Some families now prioritize military bribes over medical care, survival means paying first.”

The junta’s exploitative exemption system has exacerbated inequality, allowing the wealthy to buy their way out while the poor face forced recruitment. Amid severe economic hardship, these extortionate demands are pushing communities deeper into despair.

As resistance to conscription grows, so does the fear that Myanmar’s military will only intensify its crackdown, leaving families with fewer options and even fewer resources to resist.