A group of defectors from the Myanmar military has called for the removal of coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his fellow generals from their posts for committing high treason.

Nine months after the military coup, Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), which stands in opposition to the junta, has declared the formation of a command structure to coordinate between civilian resistance forces and allied ethnic armed organizations (EAOs).

"Military leaders calls insurgents terrorist" - Min Aung Hlaing | Myanmar Military Cheif

More than 760 junta soldiers and police plan to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) defying military rule since the declaration of a “people’s war” against the regime by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) on Sept. 7.

Nyi Thuta is a former Burmese army officer, the first to defect after the military coup in February and publicly denounce the bloody crackdown on civilians. He has sided with the anti-junta armed forces and hopes to lead by example. Exclusive testimony.

SINGAPORE—One afternoon in late August, while manning a military checkpoint in a central Myanmar city, Sgt. Htet Aung noticed an unusual post near the top of his Facebook feed: an audio interview with an army defector urging others to desert. He clicked.

Nyi Thuta could no longer reconcile it with his conscience that he was on the wrong side after the coup in Myanmar. "It was heartbreaking for me when the military began shooting innocent and peaceful demonstrators," says the captain. "As a soldier, I once took the oath to protect the people," he adds. The deserter accuses the generals headed by Min Aung Hlaing of having committed high treason when they overthrew the democratically elected government with their coup on February 1 of this year. "I could no longer serve among such traitors," added Nyi Thuta, who went into hiding.

SINGAPORE, Nov 2 (Reuters) - As Myanmar's military seeks to put down protest on the streets, a parallel battle is playing out on social media, with the junta using fake accounts to denounce opponents and press its message that it seized power to save the nation from election fraud, eight people with knowledge of the tactics said.

A group of defectors from the Myanmar military has called for the removal of coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his fellow generals from their posts for committing high treason.

More than 760 junta soldiers and police plan to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) defying military rule since the declaration of a “people’s war” against the regime by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) on Sept. 7.

On behalf of all Tatmadaw soldiers and officers, we hereby declare the removal from office of Min Aung Hlaing and senior military officials for having committed treasonous acts.

I must address an important issue about the revolution. This issue is extremely critical to the collapse of the Tatmadaw. Although I have already advised some within the NUG regarding this issue, I am going to say it again publicly so that the PDF can know about it too.

Acting President Duwal Sheila promised that the NUG will provide food, shelter, and health care for the family members of national soldiers and police standing with the people.

Half a year since the military ousted a democratically elected government in Myanmar and plunged the Southeast Asian country into chaos, there are few signs that the situation will stabilize any time soon. A harsh crackdown on anti-coup protesters and others has left over 900 people dead since the Feb. 1 military takeover, according to a rights group monitoring the situation, spawning armed resistance among citizens opposed to military rule.

As soldiers defect, and rumours swirl of disgruntlement among generals past and present over the economic and political fallout of the coup, chinks seem to be appearing in the Myanmar military’s armour. But is it enough to topple this seemingly immovable institution?

The Chinland Defence Force (CDF) claims that there are now eight soldiers who have deserted the Myanmar army and joined their resistance group over the last two months.

More and more soldiers in Myanmar, fed up with the orders to shoot peaceful protesters since the February 1 coup, are in revolt mode and have joined the movement for restoring democracy in the country.

Striking Myanmar military officers have urged the public to welcome and protect military personnel who join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) as well as their families.

With a record-breaking number of defections unmatched in nearly six decades and brewing discontent among the ranks against their superiors, Myanmar’s more than 300,000-strong military is now at risk of splitting, according to some ex-army officers who have deserted their units recently.

Myanmar Now’s multimedia reporter Kay Zon Nway is among the 700-plus people released from Insein Prison on Wednesday. The authorities released a total of more than 2,000 anti-coup protesters from prisons across the country on Wednesday, including local journalists jailed after reporting critically on the junta's bloody crackdown.