The first batch of people who will serve in the Tatmadaw are self-proclaimed volunteers, and most of them are from Yangon Region, said Major General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the State Administration Council (SAC).
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun added the above in response to the media's questions about military service issues at the 79th Armed Forces Day military ceremony held on March 27.
"I can say that the first batch, as some media have also said, is not that the first military service was organized by force or anything. The first people who will participate and serve are volunteers. They are volunteers who voluntarily come and want to attend the first course. What I want to say again is that this group of volunteers is strangely enough, most of them are from Yangon Region," Major General Zaw Min Tun said.
The Conscription Law enacted in 2010 will come into force on February 10, 2024.
The Conscription Law was enacted on November 4, 2010, during the reign of State Peace and Development Council, and came into force only during the SAC era.
After this law came into force, there were criticisms from Western countries as well as motivations from exile media, so there were hits in the grassroots, middle class, upper class and elite tiers.
In addition, training course number (1) will be opened with a strength of 5,000 only after the necessary preparation and organization are carried out according to the Conscription Law. As for the trainees, upon completion of the training period, they must serve in the areas of their choice for a specified period of time, announced the SAC.
All those who meet the criteria for militia service will not be summoned at the same time, and a proportional recruitment system will be applied based on the location, township and population, said the Chairman of Central Body member of State Administration Council and Union Minister for Defense Admiral Tin Aung San.
According to the press release of the SAC, 5,000 eligible men will be recruited for military service per training course every month, so it plans to deploy 60,000 forces per year.
According to the current plan, only men who are eligible to serve in the military will be recruited in Course No. 1, and women who are eligible will be recruited only from Course No. 5.
