Two soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 106 based in Mawkanin, Ye Township, Mon State, have defected to the local People’s Defense Force (PDF) on April 22. The defectors, identified as Ye Naing Kyaw and Wai Ye Phyo, both 22 years old, surrendered to the PDF without weapons. They had escaped from their battalion on the night of April 21 and made contact with the PDF the following morning to arrange their defection.
According to a spokesperson from the Ye Township PDF, both soldiers were originally civilians who had been forcibly recruited into the military after being arrested while traveling. They were part of the 7th intake at the military training camp in Thayazayat before being assigned to LIB 106. This incident highlights the military council’s ongoing practice of forced recruitment, which continues to impact civilians across the country. The soldiers’ decision to defect demonstrates the growing dissatisfaction within the military council’s ranks and the harsh conditions faced by those forced into service.
The two defectors, who originally hail from Bago and Ayeyarwady Regions, are currently under the protection and care of the People’s Defense Force. The PDF has established protocols to ensure the safety and security of military defectors, providing them with necessary protection and support. The resistance forces continue to encourage other forcibly recruited soldiers within the military council’s ranks to defect when possible, emphasizing that they will be welcomed and protected by the revolutionary forces. This latest defection represents another blow to the military council’s attempts to maintain control over its forced recruits and highlights the ongoing resistance against their oppressive practices.
