Three new military recruits from Strategic Operations Command 13 and Infantry Battalion 432 have defected to the People’s Defense Force in Bokpyin Township, Tanintharyi Region, on April 20. The defectors arrived without weapons and made contact with the joint column of Kawthaung District Battalion 1. Among the defectors were Ye Win Aung, age 31, and Thu Ra Soe, age 24, both from Strategic Operations Command 13. They had completed Basic Military Training Course No. 9 and underwent three months of military training at Gyoe Phyu Lay Training School in Yangon Region.
Additionally, Sithu Kyaw, age 28, from Infantry Battalion 432 also defected to the resistance forces. He was forcibly recruited into military service and had to attend Basic Military Training Course No. 9 at Ba Htoo Training School. After completing his training, he was assigned to Infantry Battalion 558 in Tanintharyi Township before being transferred to Infantry Battalion 432 in Bokpyin Township. However, instead of reporting to his assigned unit, he fled to a monastery in Bokpyin Township.
The defectors include two individuals from Bago Region and one from Mandalay Region, all of whom were forcibly conscripted into military service through the military’s porter recruitment system. They are currently being kept in a secure location and are well-cared for, according to a spokesperson from the People’s Defense Force. The resistance forces have encouraged other military personnel who wish to defect to make contact with nearby revolutionary forces as soon as possible. The defectors have reported that they chose to leave the military as they did not wish to continue serving under the current circumstances, highlighting the ongoing issues of forced recruitment and low morale within the military ranks.
