Citizens Soldiers Not Allowed to Return Home Even After Military Service Period Expires

Ayeyarwaddy Times July 23 It has been reported by families that some citizen soldiers are not allowed to return to their homes even after completing the two-year mandatory service period stipulated by the Citizen Soldiers Law. It is also known from sources close to the military that many soldiers are being detained within the military, unable to return home for various reasons, including remaining frontline duties, serving sentences, and undergoing medical treatment. According to a military source, most of the soldiers deployed in operational areas are taking a long time to return to the rear lines due to troop rotations, and even after their service period is completed, they are being delayed from immediate discharge and are being held back. "It is not in accordance with the Citizen Soldiers Law that soldiers who have not yet returned from the front lines are not allowed to leave their duties even after their designated period has expired, and are being detained. Therefore, the military is doing whatever it pleases," a family member of a citizen soldier in Ayeyarwaddy region told Ayeyarwaddy Times. It is understood that citizen soldiers who have deserted and were subsequently apprehended are currently being disciplined in detention for periods of absence without leave and for sentences served. According to the source, periods of absence without leave and days spent in detention are not counted towards the two-year military service period, and soldiers must serve additional time to complete the two years. However, the military is offering incentives, such as promoting those who have passed the 10th grade to the rank of second lieutenant after one year of service, and those with degrees to the rank of second lieutenant upon completion of military training, according to a military source. Furthermore, it has been learned through investigations that the bodies or ashes of many citizen soldiers who died in combat are not returned to their respective families and are cremated within the operational areas, leaving them unable to return to their hometowns. Photo: Some citizen soldiers returning home and soldiers within the military The post Citizens Soldiers Not Allowed to Return Home Even After Military Service Period Expires appeared first on Ayeyarwaddy Times.