By Ko Paing/MPA
The National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Defense has vowed to guarantee the safety of new conscripts who escape forced recruitment under the junta’s military service law.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the NUG assured that defectors bringing weapons and ammunition would receive appropriate rewards while emphasizing its commitment to their protection.
A former official involved in the Anti-Junta Civil Disobedience Movement, now living in Mae Sot, told MPA, “Unlike veteran soldiers deeply entrenched in the military, newly conscripted youths are quick to defect. I believe they have full trust in the revolutionary forces. However, it would be ideal to establish a structured reintegration plan for those who do not wish to join the revolution after defecting. This plan should extend beyond conscripted individuals to include defecting soldiers and police officers. If such a system were in place, we would likely see even more defections.”
The MoD has urged forcibly conscripted youths to reach out in advance via the Facebook pages of the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), People’s Defense Teams, or the People’s Embrace Telegram channel (@MyanmarPeople). It encouraged them to defect to nearby revolutionary forces—including the PDF, People’s Defense Teams, Administration Teams, Security Teams, or ethnic resistance organizations—at the earliest opportunity, whether during training or after receiving weapons.
The statement underscored that the military junta is increasingly resorting to forced conscription to compensate for its dwindling manpower. As a result, many newly recruited conscripts have suffered heavy casualties on the frontlines.
Additionally, the statement outlined the junta’s escalating operational struggles, including severe troop depletion, disrupted supply lines, reliance on air transport for logistics, an inability to deploy forces nationwide to suppress the people’s revolution, repeated failures to launch counter-offensives, an incapacity to reclaim lost towns or bases, and growing ammunition shortages.
The NUG’s MoD also noted that politically aware youths are actively reaching out to the NUG and revolutionary forces, defecting with their weapons and abandoning the military.
Editor -ML
Translator – Z
