Four DKBA soldiers defect to KNU Brigade No.6

Wed 12 Nov 2008,
HURFOM, Duplayar District
Four soldiers from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have defected to the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU). The soldiers are reported to be upset about discrimination within DKBA ranks, as well as human rights abuses committed by the DKBA during an ongoing conflict with the KNU/KNLA. The soldiers, who are from DKBA Battalion No. 907, surrendered to KNLA Brigade No. 6 at 10 am on November 10th. “As soon as we received their request, we picked them up and brought them to our headquarters,” said a HURFOM source in the KNU. “We have already confirmed that they all are DKBA soldiers, and they also brought weapons and equipment along with them.” The four defectors include an ethnic Karen company sergeant and three privates, who are ethnic Burman. According to the KNU source, the soldiers defected with six guns, over 250 rounds of ammunition, a radio and Thai registered mobile phone According to the company sergeant, DKBA ranks are beset by discrimination. “We decided to defect because the officers treated us very bad. Foods supports are not even enough to survive,” said the soldier. “For soldiers who have family, they only received 20 kilograms of rice and 10,000 kyat per month as stipend. At the same time, high-level officers have good living standards much higher than ours.” The sergeant also lamented Karen-on-Karen human rights abuses perpetuated by the DKBA. “The real terrible thing that made me to leave the Company is the recent clash between two Karen groups in the Karen territories. I still feel pain that the war between us caused people to leave from their native places, some were seriously abused and some killed with no trial. I don't want to be a member of such a terrible group any more. I decided to desert.” The DKBA began preparing to launch an offensive on KNU controlled territory in August, and clashes between the two forces are consistently being reported. According to the Karen Human Rights group, the DKBA has been forcibly conscripting villagers as soldiers, as well as porters and human mine sweepers. All the soldiers said they are tired of fighting, and would like to simply find jobs working in a peaceful place. “Currently they all are doing well in our Bridge No. 6. We are planning to send them to a secure place and let them find jobs there,” said a KNLA official from Brigade No. 6. Desertions from the DKBA and the Burmese army, which became unofficial allies when the DKBA split from the KNU in 1994, are frequently reported by exile news agencies like the Thailand-based Irrawaddy and India-based Mizzima News. KNU officials agree, and say that the recent defections are not isolated incidents. “From July to October of this year, five soldiers from DKBA battalion No. 907 defected to us,” said the Brigade No. 6 official. “This is the third times we received deserters from Battalion No. 907 in the last five months.”