Over 5,400 conscripted in Mon State

More than 5,400 people from Mon State have been conscripted across the junta's first 26 rounds of conscription, according to data compiled by Than Lwin Times. On June 27, junta officials and cabinet members of the regime-appointed Mon State government met with recruits selected for Conscription Batch 26 at the Southeast Region Military Command's regional training center in Mawlamyine, the state capital. Based on photographs released from the meeting, Than Lwin Times estimated that at least 200 recruits from Mon State are undergoing military training as part of Batch 26, which began in June. Most conscripted individuals were not volunteers but people who were forcibly abducted, detainees sent to military training after arrest on various charges, or individuals compelled to serve as substitutes for others evading the draft. According to locals, many recruited for Batch 26 were abducted while going about their daily routines in their neighborhoods. At the same time, the junta is pressuring young people of conscription age to register with the relevant authorities. Regime officials have also warned that anyone who fails to report after receiving a summons will face prosecution under the Conscription Law. Although the Conscription Law includes provisions allowing military service deferral under certain circumstances, local youths fear they will be denied the opportunity to apply because of the junta's widespread forced recruitment practices and instead be sent directly to military training. Most conscripts are reportedly deployed to frontline combat zones immediately after completing their training. Many have been killed or wounded in fighting, while only a small number have managed to return home.