Arrests have increased after some members of the People's Defence Force (PDF) operating in Pwintbyu Township defected to the junta, locals reported.

After a member of the PDF Minbu District Battalion 4 defected to the coup regime, the junta arrested seven local civilians believed to have ties to the battalion.

“A former PDF fighter from Battalion 4 who defected to the junta revealed everything he knew. Those arrested included a married couple, a motorcycle taxi driver, and four villagers from Ywarkhaing. Others who were likely to be arrested have already fled,” a Pwintbyu Township resident said.

Seven fighters from PDF Minbu District Battalion 4 laid down their arms to the junta in January along with three weapons. In May another four defected, taking three more weapons with them.

After the January defection, junta troops accompanied by the seven defectors entered villages west of Kyaungkonegyi Village and selectively burned down several houses.

Following the May defection, the junta used information from defectors to track down people associated with the PDF battalion and carried out a series of arrests.

The junta also used defectors to mobilize people in resistance stronghold areas to discourage public support for the resistance, and in some cases used them as bait to trap and arrest civilians suspected of providing covert logistical support.

As a result, residents of resistance-controlled villages fear arrest even when they travel to junta-controlled areas for shopping or medical treatment.

Locals are also urging the resistance-led National Unity Government (NUG), the PDF’s commanding body, to address the growing number of defectors who have left the group.