‘Captured’ conscripts vow to join fight against Myanmar junta

Nearly two dozen young men who escaped being forcibly recruited into the junta army in Tanintharyi Region are now planning to fight the regime, according to the Karen National Union (KNU). Padoh Saw Ehna, secretary of the KNU’s Myeik-Dawei District, said the young men had been conscripted after being handed over to junta authorities following their arrest in Thailand. They were being transported by boat from Myeik to a military training centre in the town of Palauk in Palaw Township when they overpowered their guards and escaped on September 8, according to Padoh Saw Ehna. “The boat was carrying 29 new recruits and two junta soldiers. The recruits killed the soldiers and fled. They eventually reached us, except for two who went missing,” he told Myanmar Now. “Of the 27 who arrived here, 22 have expressed their intention to join the fight against the regime, while the remaining five wish to return to their homes,” he added. Asked why the young men decided to join the resistance, he said, “They made their decision based on their own personal feelings and experiences.” According to Padoh Saw Ehna, the escapees are being sheltered by Division 5 of the Karen National Defence Organisation’s Battalion 7, which operates under the command of KNU Brigade 4. He also noted that the five young men who wished to return home would be assisted in doing so, depending on security and travel conditions. A resident of Palaw Township who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity said the incident was unprecedented. “We’ve seen defectors here before, but this is the first time anything like this has happened,” he said. The man added that since Wednesday, junta troops have been scouring the area around Khanti, the village about nine miles south of Palauk where the two soldiers guarding the conscripts were shot and killed with their own guns. “I heard that some civilians were arrested and interrogated before being released,” he said, adding that around 300 people have since fled the area. In an interview with BBC Burmese, junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun claimed that KNU troops killed the soldiers aboard the boat and then forced the “captured” conscripts to join their group. The conscripts had reportedly fled to Thailand to avoid being drafted into the army under the People’s Military Service Law. The law, which has been in force since February, requires men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve three to five years in the military.Last week, the regime imposed a ban on conscription-age men crossing the border with Thailand at the southern Tanintharyi town of Kawthaung, in the latest measure aimed at preventing young people from leaving the country.

‘Captured’ conscripts vow to join fight against Myanmar junta

The regime claims that the 27 young men currently sheltering in KNU territory have been forced to join the Karen armed group

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