The military regime has begun conscripting women as young as 18 in Hsihseng Township, southern Shan State, marking a significant escalation in its manpower drive under Military Service Batch 21 and deepening fear among students and families.

Since the first week of January 2026, the Military Commission has targeted women aged 18 to 27 for compulsory military service. Residents say ward administrators have been delivering summons notices door to door, including to students currently enrolled in school.

Locals report that families are being told they can “negotiate” exemptions by paying unspecified sums of money.

“It hasn’t been long since this started. Officials are delivering lists of names—if you’re on the list, you must serve; if not, you have to pay whatever amount they demand. I’ve also heard of men being forcibly taken as porters at night, so no one dares to go out. I don’t know why they are calling up women this time—perhaps they’ve run out of men to seize,” a female Hsihseng resident told SHAN.

Men of eligible age continue to be conscripted as well. Residents expressed concern about the fate of recruits from Batch 1, which began in April 2024. Many have not returned after completing their term, and some families say they have lost all contact with their sons.

While the first batch was recruited through a lottery system in 2024, the junta has now reached Batch 21, signaling an aggressive and sustained nationwide conscription campaign.

In 2024, the junta-aligned Pa-O National Organization/Army (PNO/PNA) also conducted recruitment drives in Hsihseng, Hopong, Pang Laung (Pinlaung), Yawnghwe (Nyaungshwe), and Taunggyi. Recruits were assigned to sentry duties and later deployed to frontline areas until August 2025.

The PNO reportedly suspended recruitment from September 2025 until early February 2026. However, the launch of Batch 21 has reignited widespread anxiety among residents.

“When the army comes to call, the PNO offers no protection. Previously, they told people that joining their militia would exempt them from regular army service, but now they are doing nothing. Students being called up is especially devastating. In the current situation, we are barely surviving and have no money to pay for exemptions,” a parent of a student said.

Residents also report that junta forces and allied Pyu Saw Htee militias have been conducting nightly patrols in Hsihseng from around 8:00 p.m. People found outside after dark are routinely questioned and, in many cases, detained.

Between 2024 and 2025, Hsihseng residents faced repeated forced recruitment measures, including portering, lottery-based conscription, and monthly “military service fees.” The inclusion of young women in the current draft has intensified fears that no one is now exempt from military call-up.

Locals say the policy reflects a growing manpower shortage within the junta and an increasing willingness to shift the burden of war onto civilians, regardless of age, gender, or student status.