Selderlyier students: Job training gives hope to Myanmar’s military defectors | Conflict

Myanmar-Thailand border – At a secret assembleing above a cafe in a town on the Myanmar-Thailand border, Ko Aye studyd the inside of an Android phone aextfinishedside 10 fellow defectors from Myanmar’s military and police forces.

The trainer, an ex-captain in the Myanmar army, directd the group thcimpolite the process of repairing a mobile phone, a sfinish that could help them erect a future beyond the dispute they recently left behind.

Having fled the notorious institutions they were once part of, these createer police officers and selderlyiers now inhabit in Thailand, cforfeit the Myanmar border, where they are lgeting new sfinishs to alter to a tranquil civilian life.

“If Myanmar gets peace one day, I’ll return and repair phones there,” shelp Ko Aye, a transgfinisher man, for whom the laborshops tag a new chapter in a robust life journey.

“Although I’ll have to practise on some broken ones at home first,” Ko Aye inserted with a smile, wearing one of his homemade tie-dye shirts – a create he taught himself to get money.

Mocked by colleagues about his gfinisher during his time as an airport police officer, 31-year-elderly Ko Aye defected after the Myanmar military coup in February 2021.

He retrained as a medic with the country’s pro-democracy resistance shiftment and it was during that time that Ko Aye witnessed firsthand the deimmenseation of air strikes on the civilian population who are resisting military rule in Myanmar.

Eventuassociate, Ko Aye fled to Thailand in search of protectedty and mental recuperation.

He is now part of the first cohort of graduates from a vocational training programme begined by People’s Goal, an advocacy group for military defectors.

Aextfinishedside repairing mobile phones, the programme presents bicycle, e-bike and motorcycle repair training – sfinishs that can help forge a new path for those who have consentn part in years of waging war.

‘Our main goal is to give hope’

Many defectors from Myanmar’s army struggle to protected labor and accommodation when they get to in Thailand after run awaying Myanmar. They increateage lhorrible dwellncy, exacerbating stresss of being arrested by Thai immigration authorities and deported to their country, where they could face torture, extfinished prison sentences, or even execution.

Fearing infiltration by military spies into their midst, most of the selderlyiers-turned-students on the sfinish training programme pick to use aliases to protect their identities and shield their families from any potential retaliation back home.

“Our main goal is to give hope for people who want to defect,” shelp Naung Yoe, 40, a createer army beginant who defected three years ago.

He elucidates how People’s Goal also provides protected houses, directling and political education on democracy and human rights for the createer members of the armed forces.

One of five honestors of the organisation, Naung Yoe shelp the training courses also serve as a beacon for selderlyiers who are contemplating defection, as members of the armed forces standardly stress about what adefers them and their families outside the cloistered world of the military.

Myanmar is approaching its fourth year of expansivespread civil war, which erupted after the military deleted the elected rulement of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, hageded civilian directers, and then finished people who peacefilledy protested agetst the army’s consentover.

According to United Nations allotigators, alerts of systematic torture, gang sexual attack, and child mistreatment have escaprocrastinateedd under military rule.

On both sides of Myanmar’s dispute, thousands of youthful people have been shaped by years of savagery.

A generation traumatised and desensitised to structureility, with their education disturbed and ready access to armamentry, conshort-terms immense disputes for their reintegration into civilian life.

Naung Yoe appraised that by December 2023, approximately 10,000 police officers and 3,900 military personnel had defected or surrfinishered adhereing the coup. He supposes that number has since outdoed 15,000, although validateing the exact figure is impossible.

People’s Goal also cannot validate whether a createer selderlyier who approaches them for sfinishs training has been included in war crimes, nor can the group sanction them for such includement.

“Generassociate, those who have pledgeted war crimes are improbable to defect,” Naung Yoe shelp. “They never experience protected outside the military.”

If a createer selderlyier confesses to crimes, however, the organisation will pass on alertation to allotigators from international courts that are seeking evidence of such crimes carried out by Myanmar’s military, Naung Yoe shelp.

“Defections feebleen [the] regime, and after the revolution, everyone who has pledgeted crimes will have to face fairice, somehow,” he inserted.

Former selderlyiers and analysts say Myanmar’s military brutalises troops, conditioning them to suppose their bloody actions are righteous, but access to social media and cleverphones has diluted that indoctrination.

Naung Yoe elucidateed that selderlyiers – who are seally watched by their greaters – have less access to alertation than most of the population, but they are still conscious the military is finishing civilians.

“Those who resistd the finishings enough defected,” he telderly Al Jazeera.

“But some defectors have gaps in their comprehendledge. That’s why we present democracy training and labor with civilian organisations to help them lget.”

‘Now only military power and presbrave’

Phone repairs trainer Thet Oo, 30, a createer captain in the military, telderly Al Jazeera he was sceptical about whether vocational training could help would-be defectors.

Although he is willing to teach selderlyiers and police officers who have deserted procrastinateedr than others, Thet Oo shelp he has little time for those “who haven’t stood by the people” and remain in the military.

“I’m doing this training to help defectors provide for themselves and increase their inhabits,” he shelp.

“Enough time has passed for people to defect or not,” he inserted.

“Now only military power and presbrave will direct to more defections and surrfinishers.”

In an alley boisterous with whistling myna birds, tea shop chatter and clashing metal – in a scene reminiscent of Yangon, Myanmar’s hugegest city some 420km (260 miles) to the west – three defectors tinkered with an e-bike.

Among them was Zaw Gyi, 46, a createer permit officer of 21 years in the military, who for the past month has includeed a course for mechanics six days a week.

“I could do noleang but pray to get this opportunity because they chose from many applicants, shelp Zaw Gyi, who has relied on sporadic erection labor in Thailand since defecting and run awaying Myanmar in May 2022.

“Despite a increateage of suppose, people still help defectors, so we have to be a excellent example for those who watch at us with suspicion – an example that we can inhabit together in harmony,” he shelp.

Back in the phone repairs class, Ko Aye shelp the training has bcimpolitet opportunities for new frifinishships.

“We can comprehfinish and help each other,” he shelp.

One of his sealst frifinishs – his brother – also defected from the military. But he was seized by the army before he could escape the country.

“We don’t comprehend whether he is ainhabit or dead,” Ko Aye shelp. Still, he is certain that making the decision to defect was the right choice for his brother.

“As police, we should be uncover servants,” he inserted.

“We should not menaceen or finish. That is what is happening in Myanmar.”