A spokesperson from the People’s Defense Force, Minbu District Battalion 2, has confirmed that five new military recruits have defected from the military strategic base at Nat Ye Kan Mountain in Ngape Township, Magway Region. The defection occurred on September 9 at 10:30 PM, when the five soldiers escaped with one firearm, ammunition, and military uniforms. The soldiers were from Infantry Battalion 520 under Military Operations Command 17 and had been transferred from Mongpan in Shan State to Ngape Township in Magway Region.
The defecting soldiers have been identified as Private Nyan Myint Myat, Private Aung Aung, Private Aung Khine, Private Phyo Ko Ko, and Private Zaw Htwe. They were graduates from military training batches 9, 11, and 13 from Infantry Battalion 520 under MOC-17 in Mongpan. They were assigned to Artillery Unit 905 at the Nat Ye Kan Mountain strategic base, where intense fighting had broken out with the Arakan Army (AA). During these battles, the military suffered significant losses, leading to the desertion of a lieutenant colonel and a captain from the Linchi-based battalion, along with more than 50 soldiers.
Private Nyan Myint Myat revealed that they had attempted to escape during their training period but were unsuccessful, only managing to defect after being deployed to the Nat Ye Kan base. The soldiers disclosed that new recruits in the military are not receiving their full salaries, with various deductions being made under different pretexts. They also reported being used as frontline cannon fodder in battles. According to their testimony, the remaining soldiers and officers at the Nat Ye Kan Mountain base are also attempting to escape due to the deteriorating situation and intense fighting with resistance forces.
