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SPDC Soldiers Defect; Buddhist Monk Killed by Troops

Thai-Burma border -- April 21, 1998 -- Corporal Kyi Zaw (No. Ta/706931) and
Private Ko Thet  (No. Ta/17602) from the No. 548 Light Infantry Battalion
(LIB) of the SPDC army defected on March 10, and laid down their arms to a
local mlitia unit at Region No.  3 under the Karen National Union's 6th
Brigade.

Kyi Zaw later explained that the decision to defect and join the democracy
forces was made after hearing a Radio Free Asia interview in Burmese that
Corporal Hla Thaung, who had defected earier from the SPDC, was welcomed
and treated well by the forces of the KNU, the National League for
Democracy-Liberated Area, and the People's Democratic Front in the area.

Kyi Zaw also said many of the SPDC soldiers loathe the way people are being
bullied, tortured and killed almost daily and want to defect to the
democracy forces.  However, they are afraid to come over because of they
have been told by their officers that they would be executed by the forces
at the border if they do so.
 
Also on April 4, three soldiers at Taungzun village of Win Yay township,
where the No. 1 Tactical Operations Command under the No. 12 Strategic
Operations Command was based, defected to a militia unit led by Lt. Mahar
Win of the KNLA No. 2 Column. 

They are Pvt Soe Lwin (Ta/816907) from No. 548 LIB, Pvt Ah Tun (Ta/ 39951)
from the No. 7 Signals Battalion, and Pvt Ko Ko Oo from the No. 907
Engineering Corps. 

In connection with the defection of the three soldiers, No. 357 Battalion
Commander Lieutenant Colonel Aik Mon, acting in accordance with the
directive of the commander of the No. 1 Tactical Operations Colonel Ye Htut
(Army-12342), issued an order on April 2 for the arrest of two monks from
the monestry of Taungzun village on the suspicion that they may have helped
the soldiers escape.  The two monks were arrested and taken back to the
Tactical Operations Command base at Taungzun.

Back at the base, the two monks were severely beaten, tortured and
interrogated.  One monk, Ashin U Kuthala, 31 years, who had been a monk for
11 years, died of injuries and was buried.  He was buried near the Taungzun
monastery on the same day. 

The fate of the other monk remains unknown and is reported to be still
under interrogation.

Yoma Three News Agency
Date: April 20, 1998