Captain Myo Swe Oo (aka) Saw Moe Zet from the Thuka military camp at the Thai-Myanmar border in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, defected to the revolutionary forces with weapons just days before the camp was captured, according to Padoh Say Nah, Secretary of the KNU Myeik-Dawei District. On July 7, the military council’s Thuka camp located on the Thai border in Dawei District was captured by revolutionary forces including KNU Brigade 4’s Battalion 10, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and allied revolutionary groups. All military council soldiers reportedly fled to the Thai side of the border during the attack.
Around 3 PM on July 1, Captain Myo Swe Oo (aka) Saw Moe Zet, who was serving as commander of Column 2 under Light Infantry Battalion 282 at the Thuka camp, voluntarily contacted KNU Brigade 4’s Battalion 10 to defect to the people’s side. The Battalion 10 commander arranged for his safe departure and warmly welcomed him when he arrived. The KNU Myeik-Dawei District Secretary confirmed that no enemy casualties were found at the Thuka camp as all soldiers had fled to Thailand.
The military council continues to create various pretexts to maintain their power while violently attacking civilians without regard for national stability, peace or justice, acting only according to their whims. They are forcibly recruiting young people as militia members while high-ranking military officers pursue their own interests, according to the KNU district secretary. He explained that lower-ranking soldiers under the military council are being forced to serve and fight against their will, living in miserable conditions with demoralized spirits as they search for ways to escape. The secretary added that with the military council facing imminent collapse, if revolutionary forces and ethnic armed organizations continue working together in unity, they will be able to completely defeat the military regime.
