Local administrators in several Shan State townships are allegedly working with brokers to secure substitute recruits for Military Service Batch (21), residents say, as many young people flee or go into hiding to avoid conscription.

Recruitment for the latest batch has been underway since early January in Taunggyi, Hopong, Namsang, Kunhing, Karli, Pang Laung (Pinlaung), and Mong Tong townships.

A resident of Namsang told SHAN that township authorities, immigration officials, and ward administrators are coordinating with brokers due to a shortage of eligible youths in Namsang, Kunhing, and Karli.

“They demand about 15 recruits per township. When local youths are unavailable, they bring people from central Myanmar through brokers. The broker fee is about 5–6 million kyats, but administrators demand up to 10 million kyats, and in some wards as much as 11 million kyats,” the resident said.

Residents allege that ward and village administrators inflate collections beyond actual broker fees to extract personal profit.

Since mid-January, military commission and General Administration Department offices in Kunhing and Karli have issued notices requiring households to contribute 50,000 kyats each to fund substitute recruits. Collection rates vary by ward, with wealthier households paying more, residents said.

In Mong Tong, residents report being charged additional fees despite having already paid several months of military service contributions.

“If this continues, it will become a permanent tax,” a Mong Tong resident said, adding that many families are struggling to meet basic needs.

In Pang Laung (Pinlaung) and Hopong, residents also report paying overlapping military service fees and taxes imposed by the Pa-O National Organization and its armed wing, the Pa-O National Army (PNO/PNA).

According to residents, households in Pang Laung pay 10,000 kyats per month for national military service, 30,000–50,000 kyats for PNO/PNA expenses, and vehicle “wheel taxes” ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 kyats. In Hopong, households reportedly pay 30,000–50,000 kyats per month in service fees.

Residents warn that the combined financial burden is pushing families into debt and forcing asset sales.

February 10, 2026, will mark two years since the military reactivated the People’s Military Service Law, which mandates military service for men aged 18–35 and women aged 18–27. As of December 2025, about 100,000 people had been conscripted through 20 training batches.