While restricting young people from traveling abroad, the military junta’s Ministry of Labour has begun promoting overseas employment opportunities for young people who have completed military service, apparently as an incentive to recruit more soldiers, according to recent announcements.
The ministry announced on October 13 that a young person who had completed military service was sent to Malaysia for work on October 7 under a program run by Golden Plant Services Co., Ltd. The individual has already started working, according to the announcement.
The ministry is also arranging to send five young people to manufacturing jobs in Thailand and another five to manufacturing jobs in Malaysia as soon as possible.
A mother of a young person from the Mon region said helping former conscripts secure overseas employment was merely a recruitment strategy, as the military continues to impose travel restrictions on young people while conducting large-scale recruitment amid resistance across the country following the coup and the military’s shootings and killings.
She said young people were more concerned about surviving on the front lines than finding employment.
“All we can do is pray that they return alive. As soon as they finish training, they are sent to distant front lines. If the country becomes peaceful, the need for soldiers will decrease. But right now, demand is high, so if they cannot find enough recruits, they will forcibly recruit people. If a legitimate government comes to power, the situation may ease,” she said.
Under the military conscription law, young people aged 18 to 35 have been arrested across the country and sent to training centers. By October 12, the military had opened its 29th conscription training batch.
The military has also announced through its Telegram channel that those who complete military service can apply for jobs of their choice, including installing lightning protection systems, streetlights and Earth Boxes, as well as working in agriculture, livestock farming and the manufacture of electrical products.
IMNA has not yet been able to verify whether the companies listed by the military as offering these jobs actually operate on the ground.
The Ministry of Labour said 46 people have applied for overseas employment in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, and that arrangements for them would continue.
A young person from Mon State who attended the first conscription training batch said recruits were struggling to survive on the front lines and feared being called up for military service again after completing their training.
IMNA