By Mg Dagon / MPA
Vice Senior General Soe Win, the second-highest leader in Myanmar’s military junta, has admitted that financial corruption is occurring daily within the military’s conscription system, implemented under the widely criticized People’s Military Service Law.
Speaking on Thursday during a meeting with regime supporters in the Kalaw military region of southern Shan State, Soe Win acknowledged that subordinates involved in recruitment efforts are engaging in illegal financial activities.
He emphasized that building a strong military is essential to defend the country and uphold the military’s so-called “Three Main National Causes.”
According to Soe Win, recruitment committees have been formed at various administrative levels to ensure only eligible individuals are selected and trained in accordance with the law. However, he admitted these committees have been involved in corruption, causing difficulties for some conscripts.
“We face these issues every day,” he said. “Our personnel must report any misconduct by recruitment committees to the appropriate authorities immediately.”
Civilians across the country report that corruption within the recruitment system has been rampant since conscription officially began in March 2024.
“Since the conscription law came into effect, a black market for bribes and substitutes has flourished. It’s especially bad in rural areas, though it happens in cities too,” said a resident from Yangon’s Insein Township. “In the beginning, people paid between 300,000 to 500,000 kyats. Some even paid up to 1.3 million kyats.”
Insein Township saw frequent conscription lotteries earlier this year, but the situation has calmed somewhat since March.
A man from Mayangone Township, who received a conscription notice, said, “I was selected in the lottery and had to pay the going market rate to avoid service.”
This illegal conscription racket is reportedly being run through a network involving military personnel, Pyusawhti militia members, police officers, and local administrators. These groups coordinate to collect bribes from those who can afford to pay, and then split the money among themselves.
“In our area, if you want a substitute, it costs about 12 million kyats,” said a woman from Bogale Township in the Ayeyarwady Region. “If you can’t pay, you’re sent directly to military training.”
The junta officially enacted the long-dormant People’s Military Service Law—originally drafted in November 2010—on February 10, 2024. Implementation guidelines were issued on January 23, 2025.
The military inducted its 11th batch of conscripts on March 17, with eight batches already graduated. Each batch is said to include 5,000 recruits, meaning around 55,000 people have been conscripted over the past year. Of these, approximately 40,000 are reported to have already been deployed to frontline combat zones.
