Chaw Su last saw her husband in March when he was forcibly conscripted to fight in Myanmar’s civil war. Four months later, she learned that he had been killed at the frontline. „We were always struggling financially, but life was more bearable with him,“ she says. Now a widow at 25, Chaw Su must care for their three young children.
In February, Myanmar’s military regime announced mandatory conscription for men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27. Since the 2021 coup, the junta has faced resistance from various groups, leading to a full-blown civil war. The junta’s response has included compulsory conscription despite warnings of worsening conflict.
Chaw Su received a call from her husband in July, who informed her he was deployed to the frontline in Karen state. Tragically, that was the last message she received from him. At the end of July, a military officer called to tell her that her husband had been killed.
Like many others, Chaw Su was promised financial support for her husband’s service, but she only received a small amount initially and then nothing for months. The military claims conscripts are entitled to salary and compensation, but delays are common.
Many families, like Soe Soe Aye’s, are left in the dark about their conscripted loved ones. Some, like Kan Htoo Lwin, have taken drastic measures to resist conscription, risking their lives to escape and join resistance groups. Others, like Zue Zue, have chosen to stay and fight against the military dictatorship.
Meanwhile, those who flee to countries like Thailand, such as Engineer Min Min, face challenges finding legal work and fear deportation. The future remains uncertain for many caught in the turmoil of Myanmar’s civil conflict. „Ich habe keine Wahl, als manuelle Arbeitsplätze zu finden.
Er sagt auch, dass thailändischen Staatsangehörigen Vorrang eingeräumt wird, deren Rechte geschützt sind, während thailändische Geschäftsinhaber oft Migranten ausnutzen, die illegal arbeiten.
„Ich habe auch gesehen, dass burmesische Ingenieure illegal arbeiten und nur etwa 12.000 thailändische Baht (355 US-Dollar) verdienen, ähnlich wie der Lohn von migrantischen Hilfsarbeitern,“ sagt er.
Zurück in Myanmar arbeitet Chaw Su jetzt in der Dorfgemeinschaft und verdient kaum genug, um ihre Kinder zu ernähren.
„Es ist schwer, anderen Menschen den Kampf zu erklären, den ich durchmache,“ sagt sie.“