Mawlamyine, 21 September
The number of defectors of the military regime, whose morale is declining with the army’s dwindling strength, has increased this September, said sources close to military council.
Members of the military council are walking away from the army for various reasons, including deserting during battles and surrendering to the revolutionary forces.
Than Lwin Times has revealed that soldiers are defecting due to pressure from senior officers, stricter rules, difficulty providing for their families, and unwillingness to continue their duties.
The exact number of defectors for this month is unknown, but according to people close to the military council, at least one of each military unit has defected, and some security personnel have been unable to be contacted at all.
KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Tony, a veteran ethnic armed organization, told Than Lwin Times, “Soldiers are often surrendering to the Karen National Union (KNU)”.
Four military personnel defected to KNU Brigade 6 alone on the 4th, 6th and 8th of September, said the KNU.
All of them are the ages of 20 and 33, and because they can no longer tolerate the military council’s tyrannical rule, they have all sought safety in the embrace of the people. They will fight with the ethnic armed revolutionaries until the military dictatorship is overthrown.
The KNU warmly welcomed the soldiers who came to join the KNU and the public with weapons and ammunition and said that they will support soldiers in their efforts to continue their lives.
The National Unity Government (NUG) announced on September 7 that more than 14,000 regime troops and policemen have taken refuge in people’s embrace nationwide during the two-and-a-half-year military coup.
News – Than Lwin Times
Photo: KNU
