Burma’s ruling military junta has imposed mandatory military service for all young men and women. Under the new law, all men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 will be ordered to serve for two years, though that can be extended to five years in the event of an ongoing state of emergency.

This month marks three years since the military seized power in a 2021 coup and ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her party. Earlier this month, Burma’s U.N. ambassador appealed to the international community to do more to help his country.

Kyaw Moe Tun: “Last three years, over 44,000 people have been brutally killed by the military. More than 2.6 million people have been internally displaced. Over 86,000 civilian properties, including religious buildings, have been destroyed, abandoned by the junta forces. Almost 19 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Half of the population has been thrown into poverty.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International is calling for a war crimes probe over the military bombing of a church in the Burmese city of Sagaing in January which killed 17 people, including two children, who were attending a Sunday service. Amnesty is urging the U.N. Security Council to refer the Burmese junta to the International Criminal Court.