A new military recruit who was forcibly conscripted after being arrested while buying snacks in Yangon’s Thingangyun Township has defected from Light Infantry Battalion 929 under the Northwestern Command in Monywa. According to a representative from the Golden Target Force, the soldier made contact with their organization and Local People’s Defense Force Township-1 on July 25th to surrender. The soldier was originally arrested by military council troops while buying fried snacks in the evening in Thingangyun Township.
According to the defector’s testimony, after his arrest, he was sent to the Gyozyu training school in Taikkyi Township where he underwent military training for two and a half months. He was then transferred to Battalion 105 in Bago Township before being ultimately assigned to Supply Battalion 929 near the Northwestern Command headquarters in Monywa. The soldier attempted to bring his MA-1 rifle when defecting but was unable to do so due to security concerns for his personal safety.
During his time serving at Supply Battalion 929, the defector revealed concerning details about conditions within the unit. He testified that corporals were selling drugs to lower-ranking soldiers, specifically selling tablets of ‘Yama’ (methamphetamine) for 10,000 kyats each. This testimony provides a glimpse into the deteriorating conditions and drug problems within military units under the control of the military council. The defector’s account highlights both the military council’s practice of forced recruitment of civilians into military service, as well as the troubling internal issues facing their forces, including drug distribution by superior officers to their subordinates.
