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To Members of the United Nations Security Council
CC: UN Human Rights Council Members
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
1 March 2024
Re: Security Council must act now as Myanmar military junta’s forced conscription endangers peace, stability, and human security in Myanmar and the region
Your Excellencies,
We, 397 civil society organizations, call on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take immediate action to ensure peace and stability in the region following the Myanmar military junta’s illegal enforcement of the conscription law. In particular, we call on Japan, as the President of the UNSC in March 2024, to convene an emergency meeting to put forward a binding resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to impose targeted economic sanctions and a comprehensive arms embargo against the junta, and refer the crisis in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court or create an ad hoc tribunal. In addition, the UNSC must provide substantial support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as declared in Resolution 2669, and assist Myanmar’s neighboring countries to promptly guarantee legal protection for people fleeing the junta’s forced conscription and mass atrocity crimes.
On 10 February 2024, the military junta announced the enforcement of the People’s Military Service Law, which the past military regime passed in 2010. Men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 will be at risk of forced conscription, and the age further extends to 45 and 35, respectively, for those with expert professions. Up to 14 million people across Myanmar are deemed eligible for this forced conscription, which requires serving up to five years during a state of emergency as is currently in place by the junta’s illegal declaration. Individuals face prison sentences of up to five years, hefty fines, or both, for failing to report for duty. The junta also reserves its arbitrary power to recall those who have already finished their military service.
The junta’s forced conscription efforts exacerbate the already unprecedented violence caused by its countrywide terror campaign. As it rapidly loses ground to democratic resistance forces, the junta has resorted to forced conscription as psychological warfare to terrorize the population into submission, force people to kill each other against their conscience, and inflame inter-ethnic and inter-religious tension. This ruthless measure underlines the junta’s calculated move to escalate atrocities, exploiting new conscripts as expendable human shields, porters, and frontline fighters—evident in the Myanmar military’s sordid history, particularly its forced recruitment of children in violation of international law. The forced conscription thus explicitly goes against the UNSC’s demand for an immediate end to all forms of violence in Resolution 2669.
This scheme to forcibly recruit 60,000 men in the first round will compound the severe instability and human insecurity that the junta has already unleashed on Southeast Asia. Young men have been kidnapped or otherwise compelled to join military service, according to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. Hundreds of Rohingya in internment camps in Rakhine State are being arrested and recruited into service, or persuaded to enlist in exchange for freedom of movement. Other reports indicate people in Bago Region and Yangon City are being forcedto serve, leaving them no other choice but to bribe junta personnel or face outright extortion to evade conscription. Individuals in disenfranchised and impoverished sectors, such as garment workers, lack such options as the junta’s workforce data collection is underway.
Meanwhile, the junta’s Labor Ministry curtails a route to flee the country by suspending recruitment drives of the Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Association. These realities will only lead to a massive influx of refugees and trafficking survivors into neighboring countries with track records of non-compliance with their international obligations, ensuring insufficient aid, no legal protection, and risk of refoulement.
For over three years since the military’s illegal coup attempt, the people of Myanmar nationwide have categorically and unequivocally rejected the Myanmar military’s futile attempts to seize power. The military junta has absolutely no legal authority to enforce any law in Myanmar. In fact, this forced conscription law is nothing more than modern slavery or forced labor under both domestic and international law.
We are alarmed by the sequence of events which led to the junta’s forced conscription: shortly after the ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar’s visit to Naypyitaw in January, and the Thailand-initiated and ASEAN-endorsed humanitarian assistance center in early February. Rather than restoring regional peace and stability and ensuring human security in Southeast Asia, these actions taken by the ASEAN Special Envoy and Thailand have only served to lend false legitimacy to the junta, emboldening it to intensify its terror campaign through forced conscription.
ASEAN’s ineffective actions have enabled the junta to commit more atrocity crimes with total impunity, while only deepening the bloc’s complicity in these crimes. In addition, we are gravely concerned by Thailand’s approach to humanitarian assistance, as it involves the Myanmar Red Cross which is part of the Myanmar military’s security apparatus and cannot be trusted as a partner to provide humanitarian assistance to those subject to the junta’s heinous crimes.
Excellencies, the UNSC can no longer continue to recklessly defer to ASEAN and its harmful approach which have to date jeopardized peace and stability in Myanmar and the region. With human security and civilian protection as its guiding principles, the UNSC must coordinate countries in the region to provide legal protection for Myanmar people fleeing from the junta’s terror campaign, including forced conscription and atrocities.
As a criminal entity, the Myanmar military has also facilitated the expansion of criminally run zones in Myanmar—now hubs for transnational crimes, breeding illegal online scam centers and human trafficking from which it has profited. These organized crimes severely endanger peace and security in the region and beyond. In the face of these nefarious activities, Myanmar’s democratic resistance forces have pledged to join forces with China and Thailand to dismantle the criminal hubs. In this regard, the UNSC must provide political and practical support to these resistance forces to topple the criminal Myanmar military and combat this problem effectively.
As the military junta weaponizes its forced conscription law, it is of utmost urgency that the UNSC act decisively: fulfill its mandate and implement its own resolutions to protect the people of Myanmar and establish peace and stability in Myanmar and the region. Once again, we urgently call on the UNSC to adopt a binding resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter that enforces targeted economic sanctions and a comprehensive arms embargo against the junta, and refers the crisis in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court or establishes an ad hoc international criminal tribunal. Regional peace and stability will remain elusive unless and until peace and stability is secured in Myanmar, and the Myanmar military, as an illegal and international criminal entity, is held accountable for its decades of mass atrocity crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
For more information, please contact:
- Elena, General Strike Committee of Nationalities; gscn2021@gmail.com
- Myay Latt Tun, CDM Medical Network; contact@cdmmn.org
- Tun Khin, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK; tunkhin80@gmail.com
- Khin Ohmar, Progressive Voice; info@progressive-voice.org
Signed by 397 civil society organizations, including 94 organizations that have chosen not to disclose their names because of the junta’s continued violence in Myanmar.
1. 5/ of Zaya State Strike
2. 8888 Generation (New Zealand)
3. Action Against Myanmar Military Coup (Sydney)
4. Action Committee for Democracy Development (Coalition of 14 grassroots networks)
5. Action Committee of Basic Education Students (ACBES)
6. All Arakan Youth Orga
7. All Aung Myay Thar San Schools Strike Force
8. All Burma Democratic Face
9. All Burma Democratic Front in New Zealand
10. All Young Burmese League (AYBL)
11. Alliance for Democracy in Burma
12. Alliance of Students’ Union – Yangon (ASU-Yangon)
13. ALTSEAN-Burma
14. Ah Nah Podcast — Conversations with Myanmar
15. Anti Dictatorship in Burma – DC Metropolitan Area (ADB-DCMA)
16. Anti-Coup Forces Coordination Committee (ACFCC – Mandalay)
17. Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon-AJAY
18. Arakan CSO Network
19. Arakan Youths Peace Network (AYPN)
20. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)
21. Asia Democracy Network (ADN)
22. Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR)
23. Asian Cultural Forum on Development (ACFOD)
24. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
25. Asian Health Institute (AHI)
26. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP)
27. Association Suisse-Birmanie
28. Associazione per l'Amicizia Italia Birmania “Giuseppe Malpeli”
29. Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organization
30. Auckland Kachin Community NZ
31. Auckland Zomi Community
32. Aung San Suu Kyi Park, Norway
33. Australian Karen Organisation (AKO)
34. A-Yar-Taw People Strike
35. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation – AWDO (Magway)
36. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation – AWDO (Nagphe)
37. Ayeyarwaddy Youth Network (AYN)
38. Better Burma
39. Blood Money Campaign (BMC)
40. Burma Academy
41. Burma Action Ireland (BAI)
42. Burma Campaign UK
43. Burma Canadian Network (BCN)
44. Burma Civil War Museum
45. Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
46. Burmese Community Development Collaboration (BCDC)
47. Burmese Community Group (Manawatu, NZ)
48. Burmese Community Support Group (BCSG)
49. Burmese Friendship Association
50. Burmese Medical Association Australia (BMAA)
51. Burmese Relief Center Japan
52. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
53. Burmese Rohingya Welfare Organisation New Zealand
54. Burmese Women’s Union (BWU)
55. Campaign for a New Myanmar
56. CAN-Myanmar
57. CDM - လျှပ်စစ်နဲ့ စွမ်းအင် ဝန်ကြီးဌာန
58. CDM - သယံဇာတနှင့်သဘာဝပတ်ဝန်းကျင်ထိန်းသိမ်းရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန
59. CDM Medical Network (CDMMN)
60. CDM ရန်ကုန်မြိုတော်စည်ပင်သာယာရေးကော်မတီ
61. Center For Action Points
62. Chaung Oo Township Youth Strike Committee
63. Chin Community in Norway
64. Chin Community of Auckland
65. Citizen of Burma Award – New Zealand
66. Civil Information Network (CIN)
67. Civil Rights Defenders
68. Coalition Strike Committee – Dawei
69. Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention
70. Cross Cultural Foundation
71. CRPH & NUG Supporters Ireland
72. CRPH Funding Ireland
73. CRPH Support Group, Norway and member organizations
74. CRPH, NUG Support Team Germany – Deutschland
75. Dawei Youths Revolutionary Movement Strike Committee
76. Defend Myanmar Democracy (DMD)
77. Democracy for Ethnic Minorities Organization
78. Democracy, Peace and Women’s Organization
79. Democratic Youth Council
80. Depayin Township Revolution Steering Committee
81. Doh Atu – Ensemble pour le Myanmar
82. Educational Initiatives Prague
83. Equality Myanmar (EQMM)
84. Ethnic Youth General Strike Committee (Mandalay)
85. Federal Corner
86. Federal FM Mandalay
87. Federal Myanmar Benevolence Group (NZ)
88. Finland Myanmar Society Ry
89. Free Burma Campaign (South Africa)
90. Free Burma Rangers
91. Free Rohingya Coalition
92. Freedom and Labor Action Group (FLAG)
93. Friends of the Earth Japan
94. From Singapore to Myanmar (FS2M)
95. Future Light Center (FLC)
96. Future Thanlwin
97. Gender Equality Network
98. General Strike Collaboration Committee (GSCC)
99. General Strike Committee of Basic and Higher Education (GSCBHE)
- Basic Education General Strike Committee (BEGSC)
- Basic Education Worker Unions – Steering Committee (BEWU-SC)
- Representative Committee of University Teacher Associations (RC of UTAs)
100. General Strike Committee of Nationalities (GSCN)
101. Generation Wave
102. German Solidarity with Myanmar Democracy e.V.
103. Global Myanmar Spring Revolution (GMSR)
104. Golden Heart Organization
105. Grass-root People
106. Green Network (Myeik)
107. Human Rights Educators Network (HREN)
108. Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
109. India For Myanmar
110. Industrial Training Centre (ITC) Family Sydney
111. Info Birmanie
112. Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
113. Insight Myanmar
114. Institute for Asian Democracy
115. Integria, z.u (Prague)
116. Inter Pares
117. International Association, Myanmar-Switzerland (IAMS)
118. International Campaign for the Rohingya
119. International Karen Organisation
120. Japan Campaign to Ban Landmines (JCBL)
121. Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN)
122. JMC Inn Lay
123. Justice 4 Myanmar – Hope & Development
124. Justice For Myanmar
125. Kachin Association Australia
126. Kachin Association Norway
127. Kachin State Civilian Movement (KSCM)
128. Kachin Student Union
129. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)
130. Kalay Township Strike Force
131. Kanpetlet Land Development Association
132. Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
133. Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
134. Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN)
135. Karen Swedish Community (KSC)
136. Karenni Association – Norway
137. Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN)
138. Karenni Human Rights Group
139. Karenni Humanitarian Response Team
140. Karenni National Women's Organization
141. Karenni Society New Zealand
142. Kayan Rescue Committee (KRC)
143. K’cho Ethnic Association
144. Keng Tung Youth
145. Kings N Queens
146. Kyae Lak Myay
147. Kyain Seikgyi Spring Revolution Leading Committee
148. Kyauktada Strike Committee
149. La Communauté Birmane de France
150. LAIN Technical Support Group
151. Latpadaung Region Strike Committee
152. Legal Aid for Human Rights
153. Let’s Help Each Other (LHEO)
154. LGBT Alliance
- LGBT Alliance Myanmar (Kalay Region)
- LGBT Alliance Myanmar (Kyaukse Region)
- LGBT Community Yangon
- LGBT Union – Mandalay
- Monywa LGBT Strike
155. MAGGA Initiative
156. Magway People's Revolution Committee
157. Magway Region Human Rights Network (MHRN)
158. Mandalay Medical Family (MFM)
159. Mandalay Regional Youth Association – Revolution Core Group (MRYA-RCG)
160. Mandalay Strike Force (MSF)
- Chanmyatharzi Township People’s Strike
- Co-operative University Mandalay Students’ Strike
- Daung Sitthe Strike
- Industries Strike
- Maharaungmyay Township People’s Strike
- Mandalar University Students' Strike
- Mandalay Alliance Coalition Strike
- Mandalay Youth Strike
- Mandalay-based People's Strike
- Multi-Religions Strike
- Mya Taung Strike
- Myanmar Institute of Information Technology Students’ Strike
- No.12 Basic Education Branch High School (Maharaungmyay) Students’ Union
- Samgha Sammaga-Mandalay
- Seinpann Strike
161. Mandalay-Based University Students’ Unions (MDY_SUs)
162. Matu Burma Foundation
163. May May Yin Khwin (Mother's Embrace) CDM Support Team
164. MayMyo Strike Force
165. Mekong Watch
166. Metta Campaign
167. Min Hla Farmers Group
168. Minbu Farmers Group
169. Mindat Chin Community NSW
170. Minority Affairs Institute – MAI Myanmar
171. Mon Association – Norway
172. Monywa People's Strike Steering Committee
- All Burma Federation of Student Unions (Monywa District)
- Civil Society Organizations Coordination Committee (Monywa)
- Former Political Prisoners and New Generation Group – Monywa
- Network of University Student Unions – Monywa
- Thakhin Kodaw Mhine Peace Network (Monywa)
- The 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (Monywa)
173. Monywa-Amyint Road Strike Leading Committee
174. Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP)
175. Myanmar Action Group Denmark
176. Myanmar anti-Military Coup Movement in New Zealand
177. Myanmar Baptist Churches in Norway
178. Myanmar Campaign Network
179. Myanmar Catholic Community In Norway
180. Myanmar Community Austria
181. Myanmar Community Coffs Harbour (MCC)
182. Myanmar Community Group Christchurch New Zealand
183. Myanmar Community Group Dunedin New Zealand
184. Myanmar Community in Norway
185. Myanmar Cultural Research Society
186. Myanmar Democratic Force in Denmark
187. Myanmar Diaspora Group Finland
188. Myanmar Emergency Fund (MEF Canada)
189. Myanmar Engineering Association of Australia (MEAA)
190. Myanmar Engineers – New Zealand
191. Myanmar Gonye (New Zealand)
192. Myanmar Hindu Community – Norway
193. Myanmar Labor Alliance (MLA)
194. Myanmar Muslim Organization – Norway
195. Myanmar Muslim Revolution Force (MMRF)
196. Myanmar People Alliance (Shan State)
197. Myanmar Professionals Association Australia (MPAA)
198. Myanmar Refugee Policy Group
199. Myanmar Students’ Union in New Zealand
200. Myaung Youth Network
201. MyaYar Knowledge Tree
202. Myingyan Civilian Movement Committee
203. National Advocacy Group – New Zealand
204. Nelson Myanmar Community Group New Zealand
205. Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma)
206. New Light Federation of Labor Unions Myanmar (NLF-Myanmar)
207. New Myanmar Foundation
208. New Zealand Doctors for NUG
209. New Zealand Karen Association
210. New Zealand Zo Community Inc.
211. NLD Organization Committee (International) Norway
212. No Business With Genocide
213. Norway Falam Community
214. Norway Matu Community
215. Norway Rawang Community
216. New Rehmonnya Federated Force (NRFF)
217. NSW Karenni (Kayah) Communities
218. Olive Organization
219. Open Development Foundation
220. Overseas Mon Association. New Zealand
221. Oway Institute
222. Padauk Finland-Myanmar Association
223. Pale Township People's Strike Steering Committee
224. Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar (PPN-M)
225. Politics for Women Myanmar
226. Progressive Voice
227. Pwintphyu Development Organisation
228. Pyi Gyi Tagon Strike Force
229. Pyithu Gonye (New Zealand)
230. Rangoon Scout Network (RSN)
231. Rohingya Action Ireland (RAI)
232. Rohingya Community in Norway
233. Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network
234. Rohingya Southeast Asia Network (RAISA)
235. Rohingya Union for Women Education and Development (RUWED)
236. Rural Community Development Society
237. Rvwang Community Association New Zealand
238. Save and Care Organization for Ethnic Women at Border Areas (SCOEWBA)
239. Save Myanmar
240. Save Myanmar Fundraising Group (New Zealand)
241. Save Myanmar – USA
242. Services for the Health in Asian and African Regions
243. Shan Community (New Zealand)
244. Shan MATA
245. Shwe Pan Kone People’s Strike Steering Committee
246. Sisters 2 Sisters
247. Sitt Nyein Pann Foundation
248. Social Garden
249. Southern Dragon Myanmar
250. Southern Monitor
251. Southern Youth Development Organization
252. Spring Friends
253. Spring Traveller
254. Student Voice
255. Sujata Sisters Group (NZ)
256. Support 4 Myanmar
257. Support Group for Democracy in Myanmar (The Netherlands)
258. Sydney Friends for Myanmar Unity
259. Synergy – Social Harmony Organization
260. Ta Mar Institute of Development
261. Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO)
262. Ta’ang Legal Aid Foundation (TLAF)
263. Tanintharyi MATA
264. Taze Strike Committee
265. Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma (TACDB)
266. Thailand 4 Burma
267. The European Rohingya Council (ERC)
268. The Institution of Professional Engineers Myanmar (IPEM)
269. The Ladies
270. Township Leading Group (Winemaw)
271. Twitter Team for Revolution (TTFR)
272. U.S. Campaign for Burma
273. Unity in Diversity Action for Youth (UDAY)
274. University Students’ Unions Alumni Force
275. Volunteers in Myanmar
276. Wetlet Revolution Leading Committee
277. White Coat Society Yangon (WCSY)
278. Winemaw Lisu Development Association
279. Women Activists Myanmar (WAM)
280. Women Advocacy Coalition – Myanmar (WAC-M)
281. Women Alliance Burma (WAB)
- Chindwin (West) Villages Women Strike
- Dawei (Ashaetaw) Women Strike
- Depayin Women Strike
- Gangaw Women Strike
- Kalay Women Strike
- Mandalay Women Strike
- Monywa Women Strike
- Monywa-Amyint Road Women Strike
- Taze Women Strike
- Thayat Chaung Women Strike
- Wetlet Twonship Women Strike
- Yangon Women Strike
282. Women Lead Resource Center
283. Women’s League of Burma
284. Women’s Democratic Club, femin
285. Women’s Peace Network
286. Yadanabon University Students’ Union (YDNBUSU)
287. Yasakyo Township People’s Strike Steering Committee
288. Yinmarpin and Salingyi All Villages Strike Committee
289. Youth Empowerment
290. Youth for Democratization of Myanmar (UDM)
291. Youth Heart Beams
292. Zomi Association Australia Inc.
293. Zomi Christian Fellowship of Norway
294. Zomi Community Norway
295. ကြားကာလပညာရေး (Online Federal School)
296. တ.က.သ ကျောင်းသားဟောင်းများအင်အားစု
297. ဒို့မြေကွန်ရက် (LIOH)
298. ပြည်သူ့ပန်းတိုင် - People's Goal
299. ပွင့်ဖြူလယ်ယာမြေကွန်ရက်
300. မျိုးဆက်-Generations
301. မရမ်းကုန်းမြို့နယ် လူစားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှုဆိုင်ရာကော်မတီ
302. ရုန်းကန်သံ
303. သမိုင်းသစ် သယ်ဆောင်သူများ
