The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Headquarters has announced that Private Way Yan Htun, who was forcibly recruited into military service after being arrested for riding a motorcycle without a license in Oaktwin Township, Bago Region, has defected to their forces. Way Yan Htun was arrested along with his friend while riding a motorcycle and was sent to the army recruitment center in Taungoo under the pretext of not having a motorcycle license.
He was subsequently transferred to No. 9 Training School in Thaton Township, where he underwent three months of military training before being assigned to Infantry Battalion 338. During his time in the military, Way Yan Htun experienced severe mistreatment, including physical abuse, insufficient food rations, and sleep deprivation, as well as systematic bullying by superior officers.
Way Yan Htun described being forced to stand guard duty for entire nights while being denied rest during the day, and being shot at with slingshots if he dozed off. He attempted to escape multiple times but was unsuccessful until finally managing to flee with weapons and ammunition when an opportunity presented itself. He detailed the harsh conditions within the military, including systematic abuse, lack of proper nutrition, and inhumane working conditions.
The defected soldier urged other servicemen still within the military council’s forces to defect, assuring them that contrary to the military’s threats, defectors are not executed or tortured upon joining the resistance. He emphasized that life with the resistance forces offers freedom and peace, unlike the oppressive conditions within the military council’s forces. Since May 2024, the military council has been conducting forced recruitment drives, using various methods to conscript young people into military service, including forced porter service, threats, arrests, and illegal draft lotteries. Human rights monitoring organizations have criticized these practices as violations of international law and human rights standards.
