Conscript Tells of Brutal Abuses by Myanmar Military Officers

A conscripted junta soldier who recently defected to the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) has accused military officers of executing fellow soldiers who attempted to retreat during frontline combat.

The testimony, released by the AA on Tuesday, sheds light on the brutal conditions faced by young men forcibly recruited under the junta’s Conscription Law.

Nay Thura Myo from Light Infantry Battalion 15 under the 99^th Light Infantry Division recalled seeing two fellow conscripts shot dead by a junior officer as they tried to fall back during a clash.