The Chinland Defence Force (CDF) announced on Tuesday that they will be rewarding soldiers defecting from the Myanmar military with 5 million kyat (around US$3,000) in return for “standing with the people” and handing over their arms to the anti-dictatorship resistance.
In exchange for surrendering their weapons, ex-soldiers will receive a cash reward and safe transportation to the location of their choice, according to the CDF.
“We’re not doing this because we’re rich. This is what must be done to weaken the military’s arms strength. Think of it as us giving back what we can to the people for their support,” a CDF spokesperson told Myanmar Now.
The Mindat-based CDF chapter made a similar statement on Wednesday, saying that they will welcome troops who wish to leave the junta and help overthrow the military dictatorship.
“We will be rewarding the soldiers who surrender all of their equipment with 5 million kyat, as well as arranging transportation for them to go where they want, even if it’s another country,” the announcement said.
Around 20 soldiers in Chin State have surrendered to the anti-coup armed resistance in recent weeks, the CDF spokesperson said, adding that the number may be higher if there are defectors who have not been accounted for. The CDF has arranged safehouses for some and others are reportedly fighting alongside them against the coup council’s forces.
Wednesday’s statements were intended to reach “others who want to join us,” the CDF spokesperson said, adding that the group wanted to make it easier for soldiers to leave the junta’s armed forces.
Troops looking to surrender were advised to contact the CDF in their respective areas, or to call the group’s spokespersons, whose phone numbers were provided in the announcement.
Reuters reported in March that around 280 policemen fled Myanmar to the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram—across the border from Chin State—after defecting from the military.
Armed resistance groups in several Chin State townships have fought back against the military, with particularly intense battles taking place in Mindat, Matupi, Kanpetlet and Hakha. According to the CDF, the junta suffered several casualties in these clashes.
Ten Myanmar military soldiers including a lieutenant colonel and three CDF troops were reportedly killed in a battle on the Mindat-Matupi highway on July 30.
The CDF also reported that after they attacked the junta’s M’kuiimnu police station in Mindat in July, several military personnel including a captain, two soldiers and a number of police officers defected to their side.
