A 16-year-old new recruit from Light Infantry Battalion 282 in Yephyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, who was sent to military training school with a fake ID, has defected to resistance forces, according to Commander Saw Dar Ko of Special Division Strategy 33. The new recruit, named Nan Ko Ko, fled from LIB 282 on July 26 and surrendered to Strategy 33 without weapons.
Nan Ko Ko, who is from Magway Region, was forcibly detained and used as a porter while traveling back to his home. Despite being only 16 years and 5 months old, he was taken to a police station where the military council created a fake ID stating he was 18 years old, and then immediately sent him to military training school. He was enrolled in Training Batch 8 and was awarded a honorarium of 500,000 kyats after completing the training. The military council has been implementing forced conscription through their military service law, sending even underage youths to dangerous frontline areas.
Special Division Strategy 33 has warned civilians to be extremely cautious as the terrorist military council continues to enforce military service laws and deploy recruits to dangerous combat zones. The practice of creating fake IDs for underage youths and forcing them into military service constitutes a violation of international law and amounts to war crimes. This incident highlights the military council’s ongoing pattern of human rights violations and their disregard for both domestic and international laws protecting minors from military recruitment.
