Three corporals who defected from Transport Battalion No. 3 have revealed that Lieutenant Colonel Myint Htwe, the battalion commander, forced soldiers to fight in the Banmauk battle without providing operational allowances and salaries. The three defectors – Corporal Zaw Min Naing, Corporal Aung Aung, and Corporal Than Zaw – who joined revolutionary forces, disclosed this information in a video statement released on March 24. According to their testimony, the battalion commander showed complete disregard for the welfare of his troops and failed to distribute their salaries on time.
The defected soldiers disclosed that they did not receive their salaries for October and November. Although they were supposed to receive a daily operational allowance of 1,200 kyats, this payment was also withheld. Furthermore, they revealed that the battalion commander and company commander intercepted the 120,000 kyats allocated by the divisional headquarters for frontline posts. Company Commander Major Htein Lin Oo was also accused of misappropriating support funds meant for the troops, using them for personal benefit instead of distributing them to the soldiers as intended.
According to the defected corporals, soldiers faced severe financial hardships due to irregular salary payments, forcing them to borrow money to support their families and repay debts when they eventually received their wages. During their deployment in the Banmauk battle, they were confined to the transport yard, tasked with monitoring the health and security of animals, performing guard duty, and sleeping on the ground. These challenging conditions, combined with the financial hardships and mistreatment by their superiors, led to low morale among the troops and ultimately contributed to their decision to defect to the revolutionary forces.
