A Crisis In Morale As Soldiers Defect
Aung Myo Htet had always dreamed of being a soldier, and had attained the rank of captain. But when he joined the army in Myanmar, he had thought he would be defending his country, not fighting — and losing — pitched battles against his own countrymen.
In June, he was sent to the front lines in Kayah State to subdue resistance fighters and armed protesters opposing the generals who seized power in a February coup. Three of his fellow soldiers were killed, said Aung Myo Htet, 32.
“Seeing the casualties on our side made me feel so sad,” he said. “We were fighting and sacrificing ourselves for the general’s sake and not for the country.”
On October 7, he walked off his base and joined the country’s Civil Disobedience Movement, a nationwide effort aimed at restoring democracy and bringing down Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the man behind the coup. At least 2,000 other soldiers and police officers have done the same, part of a broader campaign to weaken the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s most notorious institution.
The defectors are a small percentage of this Southeast Asian nation’s army, which is estimated to number from 280,000 to 350,000. But they appear to have contributed to a growing crisis of morale among the troops. The army is struggling to recruit. It has recalled all retirees, threatening to withhold pensions. Wives of soldiers say they are being ordered to provide security for the bases, in violation of military law.
“Never have we seen defections at this level,” said Moe Thuzar, the co-coordinator of the Myanmar Studies Program at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. “What we’re seeing since February is this steady trickle of people leaving, and also publicly stating their support for the C.D.M. That’s unprecedented.”
General Min Aung Hlaing still has the loyalty of his top officers, and there are too few defectors to topple the Tatmadaw. But those who are leaving are being embraced by the resistance. Four of Myanmar’s armed ethnic organizations have offered food and refuge.
Soldiers who have left say they have felt compelled to do so after the coup, describing their revulsion at instructions to shoot civilians.
Defecting carries a jail sentence of three years, and family members often face retaliation. The journey can be perilous, involving hide-outs in multiple cities before reaching safety.
Defecting also means sacrificing a potentially lucrative future. Officers who are able to rise through the ranks typically benefit from the Tatmadaw’s vast business holdings.
Zwe Man, a corporal, said he wanted to join the military in 2016, after seeing people put garlands on troops marching in the city of Bago.
“I joined the army because I wanted to be a soldier who protects the country and is loved by the people,” he said. “But when I joined, I found out that it was a place to torture lower-ranking soldiers.”
In July, during the height of a Covid-19 outbreak, Mr. Zwe Man said the army did not isolate people who were infected with the virus, resulting in deaths in the barracks. He has also been haunted by violence he has witnessed since the coup.
He said his girlfriend told him that the army was killing civilians and encouraged him to join the Civil Disobedience Movement. “I decided that what I really needed to do was to stand up for what was right,” he said. “And not be on the wrong side of the people.” On September 17, Mr. Zwe Man asked his army supervisor for permission to leave the base.
His request was approved, he said. And he never returned.