The Myanmar military regime has suspended issuing permits for men to work abroad amid its forced conscription of new military recruits, which has prompted thousands to leave the country.

The permanent secretary of the junta’s Labor Ministry informed local media on Thursday of the temporary ban on men leaving to work abroad. He said the measure took effect May 1 and would remain in effect “as needed”. He offered no explanation for the move.

“They [the junta] aren’t approving male workers’ requests for permits to work abroad anymore. The suspension does not include those who have already received permission to work abroad,” he said.

The owner of an overseas employment agency in Yangon said they had heard the news on Tuesday when it was shared by other agencies.

The Irrawaddy tried to contact the military junta’s Labor Ministry several times for comment, but did not get an answer.

The military regime announced on Feb. 10 that it was enforcing the Conscription Law, requiring men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to join the military. It began its first intake of forced recruits in March, prompting many citizens to head abroad. In the first round, women weren’t included.

In late April, the junta began its second round of conscription. It also been abducting young men from their homes and snatching pedestrians off the street to enforce the law.

“It’s just a temporary suspension. But, we don’t know the specific date on which the suspension will be lifted,” the MOEAF official said.

Currently, male workers mostly go to Thailand, Malaysia and other neighboring countries for job opportunities, while a few head to Japan, Dubai and other countries further afield, where procedures to apply for a job are more difficult, the owner of the overseas employment agency in Yangon said.

The suspension of permission to work abroad has caused difficulties for Myanmar youths, who invest a lot of time and effort in preparations for overseas employment, including taking language lessons and training in other necessary skills.

“I passed the final interview to work at a restaurant in Japan this week. I heard this news when I got home after preparing some documents for my contract. All my attempts fell flat. I don’t wish to do anything right now,” said a youth who had been preparing to go Japan for work.

He is not alone in being affected by the ban.

Ko Htet, a 20-year-old from Yangon, was preparing to sit for an exam in July before heading to Korea.

According to him, over 100,000 youths are waiting to sit the Korean language proficiency test. For now, their plans to go abroad have been upended.

“I decided to flee the conscription law by going abroad for work. But, if I can’t, I will join the People’s Defense Force [PDF] and fight back against the military junta,” Ko Htet said.

Like Ko Htet, Ko Kyaw Myo was preparing to go to Korea for work. But with the suspension, he said he now had no choice but to join the PDF, the armed wing of the National Unity Government.

“I decided to evade conscription by going abroad for work. But, if I can’t, I will join the PDF and fight the junta,” Ko Kyaw Myo said.

Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque