Captured junta soldiers in Myanmar have revealed alarming accounts of drug use within the military to maintain alertness and reduce emotional sensitivity during operations, including the torching of villages.
The testimony comes after the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) clashed with the Myanmar military in Kayah (Karenni) State, capturing five soldiers following a battle near Loikaw on November 26 that left 40 junta troops dead, Irrawaddy reports.
The KNDF released a video on December 2 showing confessions from captured soldiers, most of whom were either forcibly recruited after the 2021 coup or drafted under mandatory conscription since February. The prisoners admitted to using methamphetamine tablets, which are widely trafficked in Myanmar and reportedly supplied by the military.
Private Poe Htoo, one of the captured soldiers said that troops were supplied with methamphetamines during operations. He admitted using methamphetamine tablets with a WY logo, explaining they were provided by superiors to combat sleepiness during sentry duty.
Defected medics have corroborated these claims, suggesting that horrific acts committed by junta soldiers—such as beheadings, dismemberments, and arson—are often carried out under the influence of drugs.
The captured soldiers also described low morale and abandonment by their officers during combat.
The POWs claimed they were ordered to fight to their last breath while their superiors often fled. The harsh conditions, including forced labor and skipped meals, have left many rank-and-file soldiers desperate to escape the military.
The Myanmar military is alleged to be heavily involved in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine and heroin, particularly in areas like the Golden Triangle. When resistance forces captured Pinlebu town in Sagaing Region in October, they reportedly seized 1,300 soap boxes filled with heroin, according to the National Unity Government.
