Chin resistance forces capture Myanmar army deserters in Paletwa

A unit of the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) says it captured 15 Myanmar army deserters in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township on Tuesday. The soldiers, who included a captain, a lieutenant, and an intelligence officer, were unarmed at the time of their arrest, according to Ai Bax, the secretary general of CDF-Daai. “They didn’t have any weapons on them, so there was no exchange of fire,” he said, adding that the junta troops had fled “recklessly” from fighting in neighbouring Rakhine State. According to the CDF-Daai leader, the soldiers were from eight different battalions under the command of Light Infantry Division 11 and were on the frontlines of the conflict in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw, Minbya, and Mrauk-U townships when they deserted. “These areas are adjacent to territory controlled by CDF-Daai. As the fighting has intensified, many soldiers have left their posts,” he told Myanmar Now. In a statement, the group said that it provided medical treatment to three of the soldiers who were seriously wounded and would also deal with the others in accordance with international law. A member of CDF-Daai treats a junta soldier captured in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township on January 30 (Supplied) The statement added that CDF Daai was carrying out clearance operations along the Lemro River, which forms part of the border with Rakhine State, and also warned locals to avoid travel along waterways in the area between February 1 and 4. The Arakan Army (AA), which launched an offensive against the Myanmar military late last year, has captured a number of key military positions in Kyauktaw Township, just south of Paletwa, in recent weeks, including the Taung Shay Taung tactical hill base near the village of Tin Ma and the bases of Artillery Unit 377, Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 539, and LIB 374. Fierce fighting has also been reported in Minbya and Mrauk-U townships this week. On Tuesday, the AA reportedly captured the military’s LIB 540 base in Mrauk-U. The AA is a member of the Brotherhood Alliance, along with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. On October 27, the three groups launched Operation 1027, a major offensive aimed at capturing territory in northern Shan State. Since then, the junta army has lost hundreds of bases and outposts in contested areas around the country, as well as more than a dozen key towns in border areas. Although a Chinese -mediated ceasefire was declared last month in northern Shan State, the AA continues to engage in fighting in Rakhine State and southern Chin State. Hundreds of junta soldiers are known to have fled across the border into neighbouring India to escape from AA attacks. It was unclear, however, if the 15 captured this week were also planning to cross the border.

Chin resistance forces capture Myanmar army deserters in Paletwa

It was unclear if the 15 regime soldiers, who included three junior officers, were planning to flee across the border into India

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