Report on the defections and escapes of SAC troops to the KNDF.
February 18, 2025
In February 2025, within the operational area of KNDF Battalion No. (3), five individuals from the SAC defected, carrying their weapons. Additionally, eight others who fled unarmed from the frontlines (deserters) were successfully apprehended. These individuals are now safely held in designated KNDF central facilities.
In the Karenni-Shan border areas, daily clashes with the SAC’s offensives are particularly prevalent in Moebye. Moreover, the number of SAC troops deserting the battlefield and seeking refuge with revolutionary forces is on the rise. Weekly, the KNDF is receiving numerous members and deserters from the frontlines, providing them with safety and well-being.
Since late 2024, due to manpower shortages on the frontlines, the SAC has been compelled to deploy conscripted militia members to the forefront of battlefields. Escapees have revealed that almost all young people in the militia were unwilling to join the military and were forcibly recruited by the SAC and its local administrators. In a shocking revelation, underage children are also among those conscripted.
Most of those sent to the Karenni State battlefields are from regions such as Sagaing, Yangon, Mandalay, Hpa-An, Ayeyarwady, and Bago. After a three-month basic training period, they are dispatched to the frontlines.
We strongly urge parents, citizens, and youth to remain vigilant to avoid arrest or forced recruitment by the SAC. If conscripted and sent to the frontlines, we strongly advise connecting with nearby revolutionary forces to defect and seek refuge.
KNDF holds deep respect for human rights and wishes to convey a message to all SAC troops, from officers to rank-and-file soldiers: We do not seek to attack you. Our fight is directed against the oppressive authoritarian system and its leaders who seek to enslave the nation.
Therefore, we earnestly urge everyone to unite with the people to swiftly overthrow the SAC’s authoritarian regime and collaborate to establish a more prosperous and advantageous new system—a new federal democratic union.
KNDF Central Information Department
Contact - 09 788 545 273, 09 783 474 652, 09 425 517 594, +66819758770
