Myanmar's infamous army is in the midst of a morale crisis

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

As soldiers desert Myanmar's infamous army, a morale crisis looms.

While not enough to overthrow the Tatmadaw, the number of defectors is growing, fueled by the broad anti-coup movement.

Myanmar's infamous army is in the midst of a morale crisis.

Aung Myo Htet had always wanted to be a soldier and had risen to the rank of captain in the army.
When he joined the Myanmar army, he expected to be defending his country rather than fighting — and losing — intense battles against his own people.

 

In June, he was dispatched to Kayah State's front lines to apprehend resistance fighters and armed protestors opposed to the generals who seized control in a February coup.
Aung Myo Htet, 32, stated three of his fellow troops were slain.

"Seeing our side's casualties made me feel very sorry," he stated.
"We were fighting and sacrificing ourselves for the sake of the general, not for the benefit of the country."

 

He walked off his post on Oct. 7 and joined the country's Civil Disobedience Movement, a nationwide operation aimed at restoring democracy and bringing down the coup's mastermind, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.
At least 2,000 more military and police officials have followed suit, as part of a larger movement to dismantle Myanmar's most infamous institution, the Tatmadaw.

 

The defectors make up a small portion of the army of the Southeast Asian country, which is believed to number between 280,000 and 350,000 soldiers.
However, they appear to have struck a nerve, contributing to a developing morale issue among the troops.
The army is having difficulty attracting new recruits.
It has summoned all pensioners and threatened to withhold their pensions unless they return.
Soldiers' wives claim they are being compelled to provide protection for the bases, which they claim is against military regulations.

 

The Myanmar Defense Services Academy, the country's equivalent of West Point, was unable to fill the seats for this year's freshman class for the first time in its 67-year history.

"We've never witnessed defections at this level," said Moe Thuzar, the Myanmar Studies Program co-coordinator at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
"Since February, we've seen a steady flow of people departing, as well as public declarations of support for the C.D.M.
That's unheard of."

 

General Min Aung Hlaing's top commanders remain loyal, and there are far too few defectors to bring down the Tatmadaw.
Those who leave, on the other hand, are quickly welcomed by the resistance.
Four armed ethnic groups in Myanmar, which have fought the Tatmadaw since the country's independence from Britain in 1948, have given food, refuge, and the chance to join forces.

 

"Their seasoned military knowledge has proved helpful for our armed resistance," said Naing Htoo Aung, Secretary of Defense for the National Unity Government, which has declared itself Myanmar's legitimate government and has been tracking the growing number of defectors.
"Now we're all working toward the same goal."

Many troops who have defected have made their tales public on social media, pushing others to do the same.
The majority of those who have left are lower-level employees, but some have been officers.

 

Several defectors are now collaborating with a group of IT activists to launch a covert web campaign to encourage more troops to defect.
Activists have built more than a dozen bogus Facebook profiles to befriend soldiers, using stock photographs of military men and attractive women as profile photos.

The accounts are used to send direct messages to the perpetrators, pleading with them not to harm innocent people.
Another group is urging wives to encourage their spouses to leave the military and cease supporting the junta via Facebook.