Five minutes later, he receives a message. A soldier desperately needs his help. He wants to leave the Tatmadaw, but he fears being caught. Can Mr Lay help? Messages like this come in every day, not just to 44-year-old Mr Lay, but also to hundreds who volunteer with People's Embrace, a network helping disillusioned soldiers and police officers defect.
søndag 1. mai 2022
Defecting online: How Myanmar’s soldiers are deserting the army
Myanmar is engulfed by an increasingly deadly civil war, which began when the Tatmadaw - the country's armed forces - seized power last year. Now, helped by an underground network armed with Facebook and Telegram accounts, soldiers are leaving in droves. Agne Lay - not his real name - sits by his phone, waiting patiently.
Five minutes later, he receives a message. A soldier desperately needs his help. He wants to leave the Tatmadaw, but he fears being caught. Can Mr Lay help? Messages like this come in every day, not just to 44-year-old Mr Lay, but also to hundreds who volunteer with People's Embrace, a network helping disillusioned soldiers and police officers defect.
Five minutes later, he receives a message. A soldier desperately needs his help. He wants to leave the Tatmadaw, but he fears being caught. Can Mr Lay help? Messages like this come in every day, not just to 44-year-old Mr Lay, but also to hundreds who volunteer with People's Embrace, a network helping disillusioned soldiers and police officers defect.
