Two soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 106, based in Mawtkanin Village in northern Ye Township, Mon State, have defected to the Ye People’s Defence Force (YPDF), seeking refuge and reportedly joining their ranks.
The two defectors have been identified as Mg Wai Yair Phyo, 22, from the Ayeyawady Region, and Mg Yair Naing Kyaw, 22, from the western Bago Region.
“The two soldiers were part of a weekly training group of seven individuals. They were transferred from the Weakali Training Camp to Mawtkanin. After establishing contact with local civilians, they defected to our forces. They reached out to the Mon State People’s Defence Force (PDF) via Malaysia and subsequently made their way here,” said Colonel Yan Naing, a commander of the Ye People’s Defence Force (YPDF).
Mg Wai Yair Phyo, originally from the Ayeyawady Region, had worked in the fishing industry in Thailand. Upon returning to Mudon, Mon State, he was arrested and later transferred to the No. 6 Collection Unit in Mawlamyine, according to the Ye People’s Defence Force (YPDF).
He was then sent to the Weakali Training Camp in Thanphyuzayat Township, where he underwent over two months of training in a weekly program. Following this, he was sent through the No. 904 Training School in Mawlamyine and assigned to Light Infantry Battalion 106 in Mawtkanin.
Similarly, Mg Yair Naing Kyaw, from the western Bago Region, was arrested in Thayetchaung, Tanintharyi Region, while en route to Malaysia for work. He was subsequently transferred to the collection unit in Myeik.
Afterward, he was moved to the Weakali Training Camp in Thanphyuzayat Township and later to the No. 904 Training Unit in Mawlamyine, before being assigned to Light Infantry Battalion 106 in Mawtkanin.
The resistance forces have reiterated that individuals unwilling to serve under the military junta and seeking refuge are encouraged to contact the nearest resistance group for protection and support.
The Ye People’s Defence Force (YPDF) has also announced that township and ward/village administrators who forcibly recruit civilians into military service under junta orders will face effective and decisive action if found complicit in conscription activities.
