A young man who was forcibly recruited into military service after being arrested as a porter during a night-time operation in Yangon’s Thingangyun Township has defected to the people’s side with a weapon, according to an official from the Kanbauk Defense Force. The young resident of Thingangyun Township was captured by military council troops while he was out at night and was sent to military training batch 7. He was then forced to serve for about seven months at Infantry Battalion 31 based in Kyoza town, Ye Township, Mon State.
On June 1, the young man escaped during his guard duty, taking with him an MA-1 rifle, one ammunition magazine, and 25 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition. He made contact with Column 4 of the Dawn Battalion in Strategic Area 33 and surrendered to them. Officials from the Dawn Battalion retrieved him, awarded him compensation, and safely transported him to a liberated area. According to information released by the Kanbauk Defense Force, the Dawn Battalion warmly welcomes similar forcibly recruited soldiers and military council troops, encouraging them to escape from the military council’s control as soon as possible and return to the people’s side.
The military council continues to engage in forced military recruitment and porter conscription of civilians across the country. Those arrested are sent to military training and then deployed to frontline battles or used in mine-clearing operations. As a result, People’s Defense Forces are encouraging those who have been forcibly recruited to escape from the military council and make contact with them. Activists note that this case of a young man from Thingangyun Township returning to the people’s side with a weapon serves as an example of resistance against the military council’s forced recruitment practices. The Dawn Battalion has emphasized that they will continue to warmly welcome any military council soldiers who wish to defect and will assist them in safely reaching liberated areas.
