Three Pyu Saw Htee members from Kan Ni village in Myaing Township, Magway Region, have defected with their families and exposed the systematic sexual abuse of young women by their leader. The defectors revealed that the Pyu Saw Htee leader had been using weapons to threaten and sexually assault young women in the village, forcing them to become his concubines. The group of defectors included two Pyu Saw Htee members in their thirties and one in their twenties, along with three children. They escaped from Kan Ni Pyu village on May 7 and contacted local defense forces expressing their desire to defect.
According to an official from Battalion 15 in Pakokku District, among those who defected, two were individuals who had been forced to carry weapons, and one woman was the wife of a Pyu Saw Htee member. During interrogation, they confessed that the Pyu Saw Htee leader in Kan Ni village had been using his weapons to intimidate and sexually assault young women in the village, forcing them to become his minor wives. Some of these women are now pregnant, and these abuses have reportedly been ongoing since the previous year. The defectors’ testimonies shed light on the systematic nature of these sexual crimes being perpetrated under the authority of military-backed militia leadership.
Currently, the Kan Ni Pyu Saw Htee camp is under blockade by People’s Defense Forces, resulting in severe food shortages. Due to the ongoing oppression and abuse by military council-affiliated Pyu Saw Htee members, local residents frequently attempt to escape, leading to an increasing number of defections. This incident represents another example of human rights violations being committed against local civilians by military council-affiliated groups. The situation highlights the ongoing pattern of abuse of power and sexual violence being used as a weapon of control in military-controlled areas, further emphasizing the urgent need for protection of civilian populations in conflict-affected regions of Myanmar.
