Captain Zaw Zaw Aung from the military council has defected to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), facilitated by the connection with previously defected Captain Myo Swe Oo, according to Padoh Say Nah, Secretary of the KNU Myeik-Dawei District. On July 13, Captain Zaw Zaw Aung, the platoon commander from the mobile unit in Nat Eain Taung and Myauk Kone in Longlone Township, decided to defect to KNLA Battalion 10 under Brigade 4 through coordination with Captain Myo Swe Oo (aka) Saw Moe Zet, who had defected on July 10. This decision came after he could no longer accept the current system and methods being implemented by the military council.
The defecting Captain Zaw Zaw Aung is a graduate of Defense Services Academy Intake 52 and had been serving as the platoon commander of the mobile unit in Nat Eain Taung and Myauk Kone under Infantry Battalion 104 in Longlone Township. He defected alone without bringing any weapons and is currently staying with the commander of KNLA Brigade 4 Battalion 10. The KNLA Brigade 4 has warmly welcomed his defection with pride and appreciation. The initial defector, Captain Myo Swe Oo, had previously defected from the military council’s Thuka camp, which serves as the stationary base for Infantry Battalion 282 based in Kaleinaung town, on July 2.
Padoh Say Nah, Secretary of the KNU Myeik-Dawei District, encouraged other military council soldiers considering defection by emphasizing that the military council is a dictatorship and that the current military is not a genuine people’s army or national defense force. He stated that military personnel and leaders who love their country must make a decision to bring down the military dictatorship system. He stressed that the military group can only be dismantled in a proper Myanmar way if people stand on the side of the public and truth. He urged military personnel to show empathy for ethnic minorities and civilians, stand on the side of truth, and join the revolutionary forces and the public if they truly love their country and people.
