• Myanmar’s military government has suspended all applications for overseas work permits for men.
• The restrictions coincide with the junta’s struggle against opposition in the country’s ongoing civil war.
• The war has claimed thousands of lives and displaced at least 2.6 million people.

Myanmar’s military government has decided to prohibit conscription-age men from traveling abroad for work, following an enlistment order that prompted many to attempt to flee. On Thursday, authorities announced the suspension of all applications from men for overseas work permits. Previously, locals had been permitted to leave for jobs abroad, contributing to a large diaspora of Myanmar citizens working in other countries in Asia.

However, the restrictions coincide with the junta’s struggle against heightened opposition in the country’s ongoing civil war. The conscription order was imposed by the junta in February, following months of losses. In the three months that followed, nearly 100,000 men applied for work permits, contributing to a broader exodus of people fleeing.

Young people had previously expressed their desperation to get out of the country to the BBC. Men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 are obliged to enlist. The crackdown on working abroad is now viewed as another major blow. Many in Myanmar had sought employment in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, as well as the United Arab Emirates.

A 32-year-old man, who was preparing to leave the country for Japan, expressed devastation.

He told Burmese: “[Everyone] has lost their hope for the future.”

“There are no job opportunities within the country and now they’ve also forbidden us from leaving the country. Are we not allowed to do anything?” he said.

Ko Phyo, a 28-year-old from Lewey Township in the capital Naypyidaw, told BBC Burmese that the military council’s directive had left the country’s youth with no work prospects at all. The news has observed how tens of thousands of young Myanmar people have fled the country since the February edict – with many seeking refugees in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. Most of the recent arrivals have been young men avoiding national conscription.

Since the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically-elected government in a 2021 coup, several different groups have risen against the junta, escalating into a full-blown civil war. The war has thus far claimed thousands of lives and displaced at least 2.6 million people, according to the UN.

[embedpost slug=”myanmar-troops-seek-refuge-in-bangladesh-amid-clashes-with-anti-junta-rebels/”]