Facing setbacks against resistance forces, Myanmar’s military government activates conscription law

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has for the first time activated a decade-old conscription law that makes young men and women subject to at least two years of military service if called up, effective immediately. The measure amounts to a major, though tacit, admission that the army is struggling to contain the nationwide armed resistance against its rule. Under the law, two years of service can be extended to five during national emergencies. The ruling military council came to power in 2021 after ousting the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The army has suffered serious setbacks in the conflict that erupted countrywide after the takeover.