New recruits trained by the military regime in Yangon,Ayeyarwady, and Magway regions are being sent in large numbers to fight inArakan State, where they are suffering high casualty rates, according to areport by the Burma Affairs & Conflict Study (BACS).
The first group of conscripts arrived on thefrontlines as the Arakan Army (AA) launched attacks near Thandwe in ArakanState, said U Min Htet Aung, a researcher at BACS.
"Draftees were also deployed to Maungdaw,and their relatives say they've lost contact with them," he noted.
Local sources report that conscripted soldiers have beenkilled in clashes in Thandwe, Gwa, and Maungdaw townships. Some recruits havereportedly deserted during fighting in Thandwe and Gwa.
"New conscripts are involved in thebattles at Maung Shwe Lay naval base and Tha Htay Chaung in Thandwe. Severalhave died in those clashes, and some have run away. Now, fresh recruits areamong those fleeing the fighting in Gwa, with regime forces in pursuit," aThandwe resident said.
U Kyaw Moe Tun mentioned a young conscript fromthe western Magway Region who joined to earn 6 million kyats for his mother'smedical care. After training, he was sent to Thandwe, where he was killedfighting the AA.
"We've heard of other deaths and are investigating thelatest developments," he added.
While many casualties have been reported sinceconscripts entered combat, BACS has not confirmed exact numbers.
The military regime has set up conscripttraining at 23 centers nationwide for batches 1 through 5.
On October 20, BACS reported that Shan Statehas the most training facilities with 7 centers.
The junta has also established four training centers inMandalay Region, two each in Mon, Sagaing, Yangon, Bago, and Ayeyarwadyregions, and one each in Magway and Tanintharyi regions.
The first conscription round brought in nearly5,000 recruits, with over 4,000 joining in each subsequent batch.
BACS estimates at least 21,000 conscripts havebeen recruited from the first through fifth batches.