The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) has invited Myanmar army soldiers to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) as the military continues to deploy more troops in an attempt to regain control of the highly contested Karenni (Kayah) State.
On 24 July, Khu Taw Reh (S), leader of the KNPP’s defection and CDM supervision committee, urged regime soldiers to join the CDM, saying they had already provided accommodation and security for previous participants.
“I would encourage those who want to join the CDM to just step forward. I want to encourage them to defect (to our side) and assure them that their safety will be guaranteed. They will not have to go hungry. Basically, employment and income opportunities are more or less the same throughout the country. Nowhere in Myanmar today is there an absolute guarantee of work and a fixed income. We need to understand this fact,” said Khu Taw Reh S.
After the military coup, the defection and CDM supervision committee was established in mid-2022 to support CDM soldiers. The KNPP has organized reception programs for these soldiers.
A 22-year-old young man who had fled from a military camp on the border and joined the CDM after serving two years under the military regime recounted his daily experiences during military service.
“I was there in constant misery, and life was incredibly hard. Every day was like waiting for death, not knowing on which day you would die. During my time there, we had to endure hunger. Sometimes we were cursed at. Sometimes we had to stay on guard duty until 6 pm; sometimes throughout the day. We also had to do manual labor and fetch water,” he recounted.
The CDM supervision committee said the KNPP accommodate and support the CDM soldiers for a certain period of time and help them become self-sufficient by providing livelihood opportunities.
“For those who have come out, we have made security arrangements in the camp. We have no intention of forcing them to fight back or become soldiers. We keep them for a certain period of time in places we have set up. Then we find ways for them to earn their own living,” Khu Taw Reh S. added.
The exact number of soldiers who have joined the CDM with the KNPP is not known. CDM defectors have also been seen among Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) soldiers.
The KNDF has also set up receptions for Myanmar army soldiers who wish to join the CDM through the Karenni People’s Embrace.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times.