Three Pyu Saw Htee members from Kan Ni village in Myaing Township, Magway Region, have defected with their families and exposed the sexual abuse of young women by their leader, who has been using weapons to threaten and force them into sexual relationships. The defectors include 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 the local defense force expressing their desire to defect.
According to an official from Battalion 15 in Pakokku District, among the defectors were two individuals who had been forced to carry weapons, and one woman who was the wife of a Pyu Saw Htee member. During interrogation, they revealed that the Pyu Saw Htee leader in Kan Ni village had been forcing young women in the village to become his minor wives through armed intimidation. Some of these women are now pregnant. These abuses have reportedly been occurring since the previous year. The defectors disclosed how the leader used his position of power and weapons to terrorize the local community and commit these sexual crimes with impunity.
The Kan Ni Pyu Saw Htee camp is currently under blockade by People’s Defense Force members, resulting in food shortages. Local residents frequently attempt to escape due to the torture and abuse inflicted by the military council-affiliated Pyu Saw Htee members. The military council continues to force local civilians into armed service and military duties while committing violence against the people. These conditions have led to increasing numbers of locals fleeing their homes and choosing to defect. The situation highlights the ongoing pattern of human rights violations and abuse of power by military-backed forces in Myanmar’s rural areas, where civilians face both violence and sexual exploitation under the current military regime.
