Three Pyu Saw Htee members from Kan Ni village in Myaing Township, Magway Region, have defected with their families and exposed the systematic sexual abuse of young women by their leader. The defectors revealed that the Pyu Saw Htee leader has been using weapons to threaten and sexually assault young women in the village, forcing them to become his concubines. The group of defectors includes two Pyu Saw Htee members in their thirties and one in their twenties, along with three children. They fled from Kan Ni Pyu village on May 7 and contacted local defense forces expressing their desire to defect.
According to an official from Battalion 15 in Pakokku District, the Pyu Saw Htee leader has been forcing young women in the village to become his minor wives through coercion and threats. Some of these women are now pregnant, and these abuses have been ongoing since the previous year. The defectors confirmed that the leader used his weapons and position of authority to intimidate and sexually assault these women. The systematic nature of these abuses indicates a pattern of exploitation enabled by the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee structure in the village.
Currently, the Kan Ni Pyu Saw Htee camp is under blockade by People’s Defense Forces, resulting in food shortages. There have been frequent defections from the camp due to the oppressive treatment by military-controlled Pyu Saw Htee members. Local sources indicate that many are fleeing specifically because of the criminal acts committed against women and children, which have become unbearable for those witnessing these atrocities. These human rights violations continue without any intervention or accountability from the military council, which has effectively turned a blind eye to the systematic abuse of civilians under their proxy forces’ control.
