One Hundred DKBA Soldiers Defect to KNU

More than 100 Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) soldiers have defected to the Karen National Union (KNU) since June, following fighting and DKBA forced recruitment, according to Karen sources.

About a dozen DKBA defectors returned to areas controlled by KNU Brigade 6 and Brigade 7 last week, according to KNU and DKBA sources on the border.

Some villagers in DKBA-controlled areas have also fled to KNU-controlled areas to avoid forced recruitment by the DKBA, sources said.

Hsa Paw, a member of DKBA Battalion 5, said he was among a group of soldiers who defected to the KNU because they do not want to fight against fellow Karen in the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).

The DKBA, now estimated to have some 6,000 troops, began a recruitment campaign in June to increase the army to 9,000, prior to serving as a border guard force under the military government.

Despite the agreement by DKBA leaders to transform into a border guard force, some DKBA battalions have not yet agreed with the order, said Hsa Paw.

He said many DKBA soldiers are unhappy about their leaders’ decision to become a border guard force.

The DKBA is the largest ethnic cease-fire group to accept the regime’s order to become a border guard force. It signed a cease-fire agreement with the government in 1995.

The DKBA’s political wing, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Organization (DKBO), has not yet said if it will participate in the 2010 elections.

“Once the DKBA split and defected to the Burmese regime, Khin Nyunt [a former prime minister] told them not to become involved in politics. He said politics is complicated,” said a DKBA businessman. He said he believed the DKBA would focus on social development programs and business, while serving as a border guard force.

“They [DKBA soldiers] will not all defect to the KNU at the same time,” he said. “But there are many potential defectors.”

Meanwhile, the DKBA has increased its troops in Papun District where KNLA Brigade 5 is based. Skirmishes have occurred almost daily, according to Karen relief groups.

The Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD) estimated that some 2,000 Karen villagers from six villages in Papun District have relocated to a makeshift jungle camp known as Thapepan.

The DKBA has been recruiting at the camp, sources said, and it does not allow villagers to leave the camp area in an attempt to sever their connection with the KNU.

Many villagers want to escape from the camp, said Maw Law, a KORD relief worker.

irrawaddy