Kay Du/ Kantarawaddy Times
Since the military junta enforced the Military Service Law in February 2024, a large number of conscripts have been sent to the frontlines.
According to a statement released on February 7 by the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF), nearly 100 military personnel from the junta’s forces have defected to the KNDF since the law was passed.
The junta has already completed nine basic military training sessions for conscripts.
Regardless of whether they joined willingly or were forced, these conscripts are being sent to the frontlines. In the battlefields of Karenni State, some conscripts have defected to the resistance forces with their weapons, while others have been captured as prisoners of war.
KNDF’s spokesperson, Ta Eh Soe, told Kantarawaddy Times that it is currently difficult to provide an exact number of conscripts who have defected or been captured.
“More and more people are switching sides and joining the resistance forces. This clearly shows that the junta’s mandatory conscription law is not working at all. The government enforces the law, recruits soldiers, trains them, and sends them to the frontlines, but they just end up fleeing or joining the people. This proves that the conscription law is completely ineffective,” Ta Eh Soe stated.
The Military Service Law was initially enacted in 2010 by the State Peace and Development Council under Law No. 27/2010 but was reinstated by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 10, 2024.
Since the reintroduction of this law, the lives of young people have been turned upside down. Some are trying to flee the country, while others join the resistance forces.
Many youths, with no choice but to comply, have been forced to attend basic military training. After completing training, they are assigned various duties and sent to the frontlines.
In November 2024, a soldier from Light Infantry Battalion 430, stationed in Bawlakhe, defected to the KNDF along with his weapon.
A conscript from the fourth batch of training, who had served only 26 days, stated in a video interview with KNDF’s Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) Department Head, Min Thar, that conscripts were forcibly taken and subjected to training against their will.
Additionally, newly recruited conscripts have been sent to Karenni State, and their numbers within Light Infantry Battalion 430 now exceed the original personnel count.
“There are mostly new conscripts in the battalion. The only experienced personnel left are officers and sergeants,” the one defected conscript stated.
On January 27, 2025, an officer from Light Infantry Battalion 531, based in Hpruso, defected to the KNDF with his weapon.
On January 29, four forcibly recruited junta soldiers contacted local resistance groups to defect, so the Southern Shan Local Revolution Union (SSLRU) and the Southern Shan Revolution Youth (SSRY) allied forces rescued them.
That same day, four young conscripts in their twenties, who had no way to escape conscription, defected to the Loikaw PDF.
They were from Bago Division and Shan State and had been forced to undergo three months of training in Hopong before being sent to Infantry Battalion 429 in Bawlakhe. Before reaching their assigned battalion, they contacted local resistance groups and defected.
“They were from Bago Division, with one from Shan State. Most were from Bago. They were forcibly taken and sent to military training in Hopong for three months. After finishing training, they were gradually transferred to different locations. They were supposed to join Light Infantry Battalion 429 in Bawlakhe but defected before reaching their destination. They reached Loikaw about five months ago and managed to escape while on guard duty. We helped them to escape,” a Loikaw PDF official explained.
The defectors included three conscripts from the third batch of training and one from the fourth batch.
“Since the enforcement of the conscription law, we have seen an increase in defections among conscripts, lower-ranked soldiers, and even officers. More and more conscripts are defecting under difficult circumstances. No one wants to fight against the people,” the Loikaw PDF official added.
On February 3, a soldier from the first batch of conscription training, stationed in Light Infantry Battalion 429 in Bawlakhe, also defected to KNDF Battalion 9 with his weapon and ammunition.
“One thing is clear: more junta soldiers are defecting. In the past two or three years, we didn’t see these many defections. But in recent months, the numbers have significantly increased. Everyone knows that conscription is being enforced through force. Some are kidnapped, forcibly recruited, and sent into the military. Given a chance, they will leave the military and defect,” said U Ba Nyar, Secretary (2) of the Interim Executive Council (IEC) of Karenni State.
During the revolution, a total of 11 junta soldiers have defected to the Loikaw Local PDF battalion. This information has been verified by Kantarawaddy Times through direct sources. However, additional details from other battalions remain unconfirmed and there are probably more defected soldiers.
Currently, in the area around MoeBye Township on the Karenni-Shan State border, tensions remain high as clashes continue between the military junta’s advancing troops and local revolutionary forces. Meanwhile, in Bawlakhe Township, the military council is reinforcing its troops, supplies, and medical resources, raising the possibility of battles breaking out at any moment. In response, the revolutionary alliance issued a statement on February 2, urging residents of Bawlakhe to relocate within 10 days for their safety.
