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Soldiers

Captured Soldiers Reveal Brutal Treatment by Military Junta

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Four prisoners of war, including a 15-year-old child soldier, were captured during the seizure of the military junta's Kantdaunt camp in Pale Township. The prisoners, Ko Nay Htet Lin, Ko Soe Tar, Ko Ye Kyaw Kyaw, and Police Warrant Officer Shein Ko Ko Kyaw, were subjected to brutal treatment, including forced detention, military training, and deployment to the frontline without proper care for their injuries.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ko Nay Htet Lin, a 15-year-old child soldier, was forcibly detained while selling barbecue in Yangon and sent to military training, where he was sent to No. 7 Taungdwingyi Basic Military Training Camp for five months, followed by two weeks of refresher training at Pakokku-based Infantry Battalion 251.
  • Ko Soe Tar was initially detained at the Yangon Highway Terminal and underwent five months and one week of military training in Pinlaung, followed by two and a half months of refresher training at Light Infantry Division 101 in Pakokku before being sent to the battlefield.
  • Ko Ye Kyaw Kyaw was detained under the People's Military Service Law and trained at Military Training School (Bahtoo), where he sustained injuries during the battle for Kantdaunt.
  • The captured soldiers stated that during the battle, the junta troops did not evacuate their injured men and only prioritized rescuing officers.
  • The PLA-led revolutionary joint forces began their assault on the Kantdaunt camp at 5 am on 2 June and succeeded in capturing it entirely by 6:40 am on 19 June.
  • The PLA shot down a Chinese-made F-7 (Chengdu J-7) fighter jet that had been sent for air support, which crashed in Saparsayt village, killing the pilot.
  • The judicial process was flawed, and the officers were not prosecuting under any proper modules.
  • The soldiers were poorly treated and tortured.

Statistics:

  • 15-year-old child soldier Ko Nay Htet Lin was one of the prisoners of war captured.
  • Four prisoners of war, including a 15-year-old child soldier and a police warrant officer, were captured.
  • 2 June: PLA-led revolutionary joint forces began their assault on the Kantdaunt camp.
  • 19 June: The PLA succeeded in capturing Kantdaunt camp entirely by 6:40 am.
  • 10 June: A Chinese-made F-7 (Chengdu J-7) fighter jet sent for air support was shot down by the PLA at 12:15 pm.

Sources:

  • People's Liberation Army (PLA) interrogation video
  • "PLA-led revolutionary joint forces capture Kantdaunt camp in Pale Township" (no date provided)

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