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Military Recruitment and Training

According to articles 170 and 171 of the 1974 Constitution, "every citizen has the duties to "protect and safeguard the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity" of the nation and to "undergo military training and undertake military service for the defense of the State." Although these provisions, in addition to the National Defense Law of 1959, established a legal basis for conscription, as of early 1983, except in the cases of a few needed doctors, engineers, and technicians, enlistments have been more than adequate to meet required military force levels, and the armed forces have been maintained entirely on a volunteer basis. Enlistment was generally for a two-year period. Articles 170 and 171 were also frequently cited as providing a basis for mobilizing the population into a consolidated defense force, in accordance with the national defense strategy of "people's war."

Conscription is provided for under law, but in practice the services are maintained by voluntary enlistment. Officially, all soldiers are volunteers, and the minimum recruitment age is eighteen. However, Human Rights Watch reported in 2002 that testimonies of former soldiers suggest that the vast majority of new recruits are forcibly conscripted, and that 35 to 45 percent may be children. Thousands of children are recruited and used in the Tatmadaw Kyi (Army) and in armed political groups, as the Myanmar Army continues its expansion drive.

On 4 November 2010, the Government enacted the People's Military Service Law. The law stipulates that men between the ages of 18 and 35 and women between the ages of 18 and 27 may be summoned for military service for a period not exceeding 24 months (or 36 months in the case of a defined class of professional and skilled personnel). Male (ages 18-45) and female (ages 18-35) professionals (including doctors, engineers, mechanics) serve up to 3 years; service terms may be extended to 5 years in an officially declared emergency. Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: male: 522,478; female: 506,388 (2010 est.)

The patterns of recruitment of underage children into the Tatmadaw has not altered significantly, and still includes the recruitment of working and unaccompanied children from the streets, railway stations or other public places, although the majority of children were recruited from their homes or villages. Most cases of recruitment were of children between 15 to 17 years of age, and the majority were from Yangon division. Children continue to be persuaded or duped by relatives (working in the Tatmadaw), soldiers (to earn a promotion or other incentives) and other brokers to join the Tatmadaw. the patterns of recruitment of underage children into the Tatmadaw did not alter significantly, and still included the recruitment of working and unaccompanied children from the streets, railway stations or other public places, although the majority of children were recruited from their homes or villages. Most cases of recruitment were of children between 15 to 17 years of age, and the majority were from Yangon division. Children continue to be persuaded or duped by relatives (working in the Tatmadaw), soldiers (to earn a promotion or other incentives) and other brokers to join the Tatmadaw.

The Government shared documents that indicated that from January to May 2010, 43 Tatmadaw soldiers were either warned, demoted, had their pay and allowance cut, received a serious reprimand or were imprisoned in military and civilian jails, in connection with the illegal recruitment of children. This represents a significant increase compared to 2009, when only 22 disciplinary action cases involving military personnel were reported by the Ministry of Defence.

Civilians have been conscripted to serve as military porters from all States and Divisions in Burma. Men, women and children of all ages have reportedly been forced into service as porters carrying supplies for soldiers on regular patrols. During campaigns against armed opposition groups, porters have often been forced to go to the front lines of combat. Although unarmed themselves, they have been placed at the head of columns to detonate mines and booby traps, and to spring ambushes.

Each service maintained its own stations for receiving recruits and for conducting their basic training, which usually lasted between three and nine months. Advance administrative training was available in schools near Maymyo. The National Defense College, located in Rangoon, provided advanced professional training for senior offices of all three services under the direction of the ministry.

Two principal training facilities turned out officers for all three services, cadets receiving the same fundamental instruction before being assigned to their respective branches. The Defense Services Academy, established in 1955 at Maymyo, offered a four-year degree course. Candidates applied at age 16 after having passed national matriculation exams.

Competition for entry was keen: in the 1980s approximately 3,000 applied yearly for the estimated 150 to 200 slots available. Curriculum included, as at all training institutions, instruction in BSPP doctrine. Graduating cadets were assigned to the army, navy, or air force based on manpower requirements. The Officer Training School conducted a four-month training course for university graduates and an 18-month course for selected enlisted men. Graduates of both the academy and the training school were sent to specialized courses run by the service they entered.

In most cases, underage recruits go through the full formal recruitment process and are required to undertake approximately four and one-half months of training before being sent to their duty station. In a few cases, children have been recruited directly into an operational unit. There is no information available to confirm whether or not this latter case is, in fact, the norm. However, post-discharge interviews have established that, during senior officers' visits to recruiting centres, training camps and operational units, children in the ranks are instructed to hide until the officers complete their inspection and leave.

According to official reports made available by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government continues to screen and release underage children found in its armed forces during the training process. The Government reported that, from December 2007 to December 2008, 76 children had been detected in various military training schools and released to their parents and guardians. It acknowledged that three of those cases had International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and/or ILO involvement. In fact, during that calendar year, ILO alone had submitted 31 cases for investigation, of which 18 had been released and discharged by 31 December 2008.

As of early 1983 an estimated 35,000 men and women served in units of the People's Militia, which was maintained by the Ministry of Defense and organized on a local basis to provide for village defense. Thousands of students, members of mass organizations, and government and factory workers had also been given rudimentary training in self-defense, the use of small arms, and military discipline. As far as could be determined, however, no detailed mobilization plan had been developed; and unless equipment, facilities, and training instructors were augmented considerably, it would be very difficult for these forces to contribute significantly to the nation's military defense capability. Even members of the People's Militia units were sometimes armed only with swords or bamboo stakes.