Myanmar regime sends ‘pardoned’ deserters back to barracks

Myanmar’s military regime has begun sending deserters and other convicted soldiers back to their barracks, just days after announcing that it would offer pardons to those willing to resume their duties. The transfer of imprisoned soldiers began on Wednesday in response to an order issued by the regime’s defence ministry, a source in the prison department told Myanmar Now. At Obo Prison, the second-largest detention centre in the country, a contingent of military officers arrived in the morning to escort the incarcerated soldiers to army units, the source said. Former military officers were notably excluded, he added. At least 10 more detained soldiers being held at the Htone Bo prison labour camp in Mandalay Region’s Patheingyi Township are also slated for release, according to the prison source. On Monday, regime-controlled newspapers published an announcement stating that, due to the recent intensification of fighting throughout the country, pardons would be granted to deserters who return to active service. Eligible soldiers will be readmitted to their respective battalions or reassigned based on need, according to the announcement. Prisoners serving sentences for petty crimes will also be considered for an amnesty if they agree to join the armed forces, it added. The military has lost control of more than a dozen towns since the launch in late October of Operation 1027, a major anti-regime offensive in northern Shan State that has since spread to many other parts of the country. Among the towns captured by the junta’s opponents are several important trade hubs on Myanmar’s northeastern border with China and a district-level administrative seat in Sagaing Region. More than 200 junta bases and outposts in northern Shan State and elsewhere have also fallen, as the military struggles to defend its positions against an onslaught of coordinated attacks. In addition to suffering heavy casualties, many junta units—in some cases entire battalions—have also surrendered to the anti-regime forces. Veterans of Myanmar’s military say this is the first time in their memory that the military has openly allowed deserters to return to duty.

Myanmar regime sends ‘pardoned’ deserters back to barracks

The move comes as the military struggles to defend its positions against coordinated attacks around the country

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