State Administration Council Information Team Leader Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun’s Clarifications on People’s Military Service Law

Since subversive media outlets and some terrorist groups are inciting the people against People’s Military Service Law, criticisms and concerns have arisen among the people. Accordingly, State Administration Council Information Team Leader Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun made the following clarifications on People’s Military Service Law on 13 February for broader understanding of ethnic nationals as well as the entire population;

• Enactment of the People’s Military Service Law has been issued for every citizen to undergo military training and to serve the defence duty for the State as every citizen is responsible to safeguard Our Three Main National Causes rather than internal and external threats.
• Varieties of laws regarding People’s Military Service Law and National Service have been enacted in foreign countries in the world.
• There are five neighbouring countries of Myanmar. Two countries have not enacted the above-mentioned law whereas the other three countries have enacted the said-law. Among those three countries, one country does not exercise the law in practice. Another country has been exercising the law partially and the other one has been fully exercising the law in practice.
• According to Myanmar Inter-Censal Survey 2019, nearly 13 million citizens (6.3 million men and 7.7 women) are involved in the People’s Military Service Law. However, all of them shall not serve the military service in synchronization at the same time.
• If we exclude women from 13 million people involved in the law, 6.3 men will be left to count in. One per cent of 6.3 million men is equal to 63,000; two per cent of the men is equal to 120,000 and 10 per cent of the men is equal to around 600,000. We may not need that much amount of the population.
• There are around 600,000 wards and villages in Myanmar. Therefore, no more than one or two persons from a ward will have to serve military service as well as defence duty.
• During the military training period, the training will be the same status with military service members by rank.
• Salary, ration and all rights for them will be borne from the State Budget.
• Under the section (22), members of religious order and married women will be exempt from military service duty. Those involved in the Section (15) can be temporarily postponed from military service duty.
• Public servants, students and those who are taking care of their helpless aged parents are involved in the exemption of the military service duty. They shall fulfill their temporarily postponed military service once their functions are done.
• It can be witnessed that subversive media are silent on the acts of insurgent groups that are carrying out forced recruitment in the ethnic people’s areas where one or two persons (between the age of 15 and 50) from a family are being summoned by the insurgents, regardless of man or woman. However, those media are making pious sounding noises against People’s Military Service Law.
• Subversive media and other terrorist groups are worrying over possible understanding of Myanmar citizens about national defence knowledge, the unity during their military service duty and the surge of national spirit. Accordingly, they are making incitements like that.
• The People’s Military Service Law is come into force not only for this government’s term but also for successive governments that exercise democracy.
• The SAC will also come into force the Reserve Forces Law, together with the People’s Military Service Law. Only military personnel and veterans are involved in this law.
• A member of military personnel is liable for serving military service duty with the Reserve Forces not exceeding five years starting from the date of resignation or retirement from military duty. All of those shall not serve the military service duty. Those who are required for the country will be given the opportunity to serve the military service duty.
• Those who are involved in the People’s Military Service Law will have to fully undergo the military trainings for national defence duty like professional military personnel and professionals who are serving national defence duty. Only after it, they shall serve the military service duty.
• After the basic military training for national defence duty, we will continue to assign the duties for those people, depending upon the expertise of relevant subjects.

Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun said that he wished the entire population, the people and the youths to proudly fulfil national defence duty and national security duty after they comprehended the afore-mentioned clarifications.

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper (14-2-2024)

• According to Myanmar Inter-Censal Survey 2019, nearly 13 million citizens (6.3 million men and 7.7 women) are involved in the People’s Military Service Law. However, all of them shall not serve the military service in synchronization at the same time.
• There are around 600,000 wards and villages in Myanmar. Therefore, no more than one or two persons from a ward will have to serve military service as well as defence duty.
• Under the section (22), members of religious order and married women will be exempt from military service duty. Those involved in the Section (15) can be temporarily postponed from military service duty.
• Public servants, students and those who are taking care of their helpless aged parents are involved in the exemption of the military service duty. They shall fulfill their temporarily postponed military service once their functions are done.
• It can be witnessed that subversive media are silent on the acts of insurgent groups that are carrying out forced recruitment in the ethnic people’s areas where one or two persons (between the age of 15 and 50) from a family are being summoned by the insurgents, regardless of man or woman. However, those media are making pious sounding noises against People’s Military Service Law.
• Subversive media and other terrorist groups are worrying over the possible understanding of Myanmar citizens about national defence knowledge, the unity during their military service duty and the surge of national spirit. Accordingly, they are making incitements like that.