Two soldiers from the military council’s Infantry Battalion 224 have defected to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) with their weapons during a battle near Theinkone village in Tanintharyi Township, Tanintharyi Region, as confirmed by the commander of KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 11 Headquarters. The defectors, consisting of a corporal and a private, surrendered to the KNLA Battalion 11’s Cobra Special Force during fighting near Theinkone village along the Mawtaung border trade route in Tanintharyi Township on May 9.
The defecting soldiers brought with them two MA-1 rifles, nine ammunition magazines, and 328 rounds of ammunition. As a result, they will be awarded special recognition payments for their defection with weapons. According to their testimonies, there are many more soldiers within the military council forces who wish to defect. They revealed that the military council is using new recruits as cannon fodder in battles, placing them in impossible situations where they can neither advance nor retreat.
The commander of KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 11 Headquarters analyzed that based on the defectors’ statements, conditions within military council forces are extremely poor, with most soldiers experiencing low morale and an increasing number wanting to escape. He suggested that due to the military council’s oppressive treatment of its forces, more defections like this are likely to occur in the near future. Currently, fighting continues between military council forces and local resistance forces in the Tanintharyi region, with the military council suffering increasing casualties and losses.
