New junta recruits defect to Karen forces in Myanmar’s south

Soldiers advancing towards Mawdaung, Tanintharyi Township, a border town important for trade between Myanmar and Thailand, defected to a unit commanded by the Karen National Union (KNU), KNU sources claimed on Monday. In a public statement issued on July 21, the Fighting Peacock Emissary Special Column (Peacock Special Column)—part of the KNU’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army—said nine newly recruited junta soldiers had defected to its ranks during the previous week. The Peacock Special Column is part of Battalion 11 within the command structure of the KNU’s Brigade 4. The military regime’s forces have been advancing towards Mawdaung, Tanintharyi Township in the region of the same name since January of this year, and clashed with Brigade 4 fighters in Thein Khun village, Tanintharyi Township this month, according to the same statement. Thein Khun is located some 30 miles west of Mawdaung. The junta soldiers defected to the Brigade 4 unit amid these clashes, according to the Peacock Special Column’s statement. The defectors brought five assault rifles and ammunition along with them, the column’s spokesperson told Myanmar Now. Firearms and ammunition handed over by junta soldiers defecting to the KNU (Photo: Peacock Special Column/Facebook) “Four of them defected at first, then three more came over, and finally two more joined,” he said. “They are privates from Light Infantry Battalion [LIB] 280 based in Bokpyin, Palaw-based LIB 285 in Palaw, and Artillery Battalion 103. There were no officers among them; they are all newly conscripted recruits,” he continued. The column stated that the new junta recruits defected to the KNU because they did not want to serve in an army that shoots and kills civilians. The Peacock Special Column, which cited the defectors as saying they had gone over to the Karen forces because they did not want to serve in an army that shoots civilians, also claims to have provided shelter and a payment of 3 million kyat (US $680) to each soldier, and said that the defectors would have a choice whether to deploy or where to move if they returned to civilian life. This incident was the second time this year that junta troops from the area had defected to the KNU/KNLA, according to the the Peacock Special Column. An army sergeant and private in Thein Khun village defected to the unit in May, its representatives said, bringing two MA-1 rifles with them. Thein Khun village is on the road connecting the town of Myeik, Tanintharyi Region with Mawdaung, which serves as an important border trade hub and as a base for the Myanmar army. Map showing battlefield situation in Tanintharyi Region near Mawdaung Forces under the command of the KNU’s Brigade 4 control the segment of the road between Thein Khun and Mawdaung. The junta army launched an offensive to retake Mawdaung from Brigade 4 forces in January but has been unable to advance beyond Thein Khun. Fe5 Tanintharyi, a conflict monitoring group in the region, reported in a recent briefing that the military had clashed with anti-junta forces 31 times in Tanintharyi Region in June alone, with 14 of those battles occurring near Thein Khun. Meanwhile, the KNU and allied resistance forces have also continued to attack a junta hilltop base near the town of Waw Lay (Waw Lay Myaing), south of Myawaddy, Karen State. This area, located north of KNU Brigade 4’s territory, is under the control of KNU Brigade 6. Junta forces reportedly used kamikaze drones during the battle at Waw Lay. According to Thai media reports, one of the drones flew as far as five kilometres into Thailand’s airspace over Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province. The drone crashed without detonating and was seized by authorities near the Thai border, the reports said.

New junta recruits defect to Karen forces in Myanmar’s south

Spokespersons for the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 4 unit that received the defectors said they were provided with shelter and each given a payment of 3 million kyat (US $680)

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