Former Military Regime Captain Says 1,500 Troops Defected, Joined Civil Disobedience Movement

JAKARTA - At least 1,500 troops have now defected from Myanmar's military to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against the junta, said a former Tatmadaw captain who helped fellow deserters.

New figures from Captain Lin Htet Aung, who left his post in the 528th Light Infantry Battalion in eastern Shan State in April, show soldiers are now defecting more quickly and in greater numbers than ever before.

The number of deserters almost doubled within two months. By early June, four months after the military seized power, some 800 soldiers had defected.

Among the defectors, about 1,000 people ranging in rank from soldier to sergeant while hundreds more are majors, Lin Htet Aung told Myanmar Now.

He explained that most had arrived in areas controlled by rebel groups, although they had not fully won the trust of others involved in the movement against the military regime.

"We are still in the process of monitoring and assessing them, so we cannot attack now," he added, referring to the defected army's plans to fight against the junta.

"However, many seem enthusiastic to take part in any role, which is possible once we carry out the attack," continued the man, who is a graduate of the 54th batch of the Defense Services Academy (DSA).

Lin Htet Aung has served as a bridge of communication between defectors and the Government of National Unity (NUG), while reaching out to soldiers within the Myanmar military regime to encourage more defections.

Potential defectors contact Lin Htet Aung every day, he said, and are always at risk of being discovered by the ruling military regime.

Pro-regime soldiers, he continued, refer to would-be defectors as 'watermelon' because they see them as green on the outside and red on the inside, a reference to the colors of the military and the National League for Democracy (LND) party.

"Many don't want to work for the military council anymore, as more and more soldiers lose faith in their leaders," said Lin Htet Aung.

Lin Htet Aung and other captains who have not defected said the military had recently restricted the movement of soldiers and their families. Senior officers claimed this was an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, but it was actually meant to prevent defections, they said.

"If anyone wanted to leave now, there would be only the commander-in-chief and the flagpole left in the barracks," said the captain.

Lin Htet Aung agreed, a large number of soldiers wanted to leave. "If it is agreed that anyone can resign, even new soldiers who have just graduated from DSA will leave," he said.

To note, in an interview with Myanmar Now earlier this month, NUG Defense Minister Yee Mon urged soldiers of the Myanmar military regime to defect.

"You don't have much time to decide whether you will be on the people's side or not. So join the people's defense force if you can. If you can't, stop taking orders from the military council. Stop oppressing the people," he said.

The Myanmar Coup. The editor of VOI continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continue to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.