Two soldiers from the Military Council’s Infantry Battalion 224 have defected to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) with their weapons during a battle near Theinkone village in Tanintharyi Township, Tanintharyi Region. The battalion commander of KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 11 Headquarters confirmed this development. The defection occurred on May 9th during a battle near Theinkone village along the Mawtaung border trade route. The defectors, a corporal and a private from Infantry Battalion 224 (Bokpyin), surrendered to the Cobra Column Special Force under KNLA Battalion 11.
The defecting soldiers brought with them two MA-1 rifles, nine ammunition magazines, and 328 rounds of ammunition. As a result, they will be awarded special recognition payments. According to their testimonies, there are many other soldiers within the military council forces who wish to defect. The defectors revealed that the military council is using new recruits as cannon fodder in battles where they are neither able to advance nor permitted to retreat. The soldiers described being trapped in impossible tactical situations with no options for survival.
The KNU Brigade 4, Battalion 11 Headquarters commander analyzed that the military council forces are currently suffering heavy casualties in battles and facing significant difficulties in recruiting new soldiers. He predicted that the number of defectors is likely to increase in the future. Currently, fighting continues between military council forces and local resistance forces in the Tanintharyi region, with the military council progressively losing territorial control. The defectors’ testimonies provide crucial insight into the deteriorating conditions within military council ranks and the increasing likelihood of more defections as the situation continues to worsen for the military council forces.
