The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has condemned the Myanmar military junta’s recent decision to expand the age limit of its forced conscription policy, calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar.

The move is seen as a desperate attempt by the junta to maintain control in the face of a growing pro-democracy resistance movement.

On 25 August 2024, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced the introduction of a new “security system with public participation.”

This system would require men aged 35 to 60 to serve as guards, potentially placing them on the frontlines of conflict. The announcement follows the formation of the Central Supervisory Committee for People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism on 16 August, tasked with organizing military training and overseeing “people’s security and anti-terrorism” groups at various administrative levels.

The junta’s plan builds upon the forced conscription policy it implemented on 10 February 2024, invoking the 2010 People’s Military Service Law.

The law mandates men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve two years in the military, with professionals like doctors and engineers potentially serving up to five years. Those who evade service or assist others in doing so face up to five years in prison. As part of this policy, the junta planned to conscript 5,000 individuals monthly from April 2024.

#Myanmar’s junta has begun implementing a conscription law to replenish its depleted ranks. pic.twitter.com/YaQ2s83d69

— Radio Free Asia (@RadioFreeAsia) April 18, 2024

Myanmar youth are still risking their lives protesting against recent mandatory conscription law. Stay safe guys. pic.twitter.com/gFJDesRMyT

— Hsan (@HsanLoatheCoup) April 8, 2024

Civilians as Human Shields and Forced Labor

FORUM-ASIA has condemned the junta’s forced conscription policies, highlighting the military’s history of using civilians as human shields and forcing them into hard labor.

The International Labour Organization’s Commission of Inquiry found in October 2023 that the military continues to impose forced labor amidst the ongoing armed conflict, a practice that has escalated since the 2021 coup attempt.

Local news and human rights groups have reported that the junta is also abducting and arresting citizens to use as human shields, further contributing to the human rights violations in Myanmar. Many youths, rather than being conscripted into fighting for a regime they oppose, have fled their homes to join the resistance.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over the junta’s detention and recruitment of Myanmar youth. Meanwhile, Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, noted the junta’s increasing use of powerful weapons against civilians as troop losses and recruitment challenges mount.

Call for Action

FORUM-ASIA is calling on the Myanmar military junta to immediately halt its forced conscription, abductions, forced labor, and the use of civilians as human shields.

“FORUM-ASIA urges the international community, including the UN and ASEAN, to thoroughly investigate the Myanmar military junta’s long list of human rights violations. The junta should be held accountable for all its crimes through sanctions and other punitive measures,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.

“The international community must urgently isolate the junta and support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for justice and freedom,” Bacalso added.

Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries, backed by the government-owned investment firm Temasek, announced on Monday the temporary suspension of operations at its Myingyan Independent Power Plant in Mandalay, Myanmar.

The decision follows escalating civil unrest in the region, including in the Myingyan township, where the US$300 million, 225-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power plant is located.

The Myingyan power plant, which began operations in 2018, is one of the largest independent gas-fired plants in Myanmar, employing over 70 workers and supplying electricity to five million people.

Built under an agreement with Myanmar’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy, the plant was expected to play a key role in meeting the country’s growing demand for electricity. Sembcorp Myingyan Power Company had agreed to operate the plant for 22 years before transferring it to the Myanmar government.

The recent suspension of operations comes after People’s Defence Force (PDF) forces launched attacks in the Taungtha, Natogyi, and Myingyan townships on Saturday, including an attack on a junta base located only about six kilometers (four miles) from the power plant. Sembcorp cited these escalating security concerns as the reason for halting operations, noting that they will resume as soon as conditions are deemed safe.

“Sembcorp will look to resume operations at the Plant as soon as reasonably practicable once conditions are safe,” the company said in a statement.

However, the exact timing of the suspension remains unclear. The Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation indicated that Sembcorp’s plant, along with another nearby one, ceased operations around noon on Tuesday. The company warned of reduced power supplies as a result.

The temporary closure of the Myingyan plant is expected to exacerbate the already unstable power supply in Myanmar.

Aung Myo Lat, a former Myingyan member of parliament for the ousted National League for Democracy, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that significant power cuts could be anticipated.

“Now that Sembcorp has been suspended, the amount of power supplied nationwide will be significantly reduced,” he said. “There may be more power cuts than before, and the electricity may decrease a lot. That’s just something else we’ll have to deal with.”

The Sembcorp Myingyan plant has previously come under scrutiny due to allegations of indirectly supporting the Myanmar military’s weapons industry.

In October last year, the advocacy group Gutzy raised concerns about the plant’s connection to the Myingyan No. 1 Steel Mill, which is believed to produce steel for the Defence Industry (DDI), managed by the Myanmar junta.

Gutzy questioned Sembcorp about whether it was aware of this connection and how it responded to allegations of indirectly supporting the junta’s weapon production.

In response, Sembcorp clarified that “The power generated from the Sembcorp Myingyan Independent Power Plant is sold to the Electric Power Generation Enterprise, a power department within the Ministry of Electricity and Energy. The Ministry of Electricity and Energy is responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity to consumers in Myanmar.”

This post was first published on Gutzy.asia