Myanmar resistance group says an entire army battalion surrendered to it

Members of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, holding the group's flag, posing for a photograph in front of a seized military truck in Kunlong township in Shan state, Myanmar, on Nov 12, 2023. — AP

BANGKOK (AP): An entire Myanmar army battalion based near the Chinese border surrendered to an alliance of ethnic armed groups that launched a surprise offensive last month against the military, a spokesperson for one of the armed groups said Wednesday (Nov 15).

The surrender of 261 people - 127 soldiers and 134 of their family members - from the infantry battalion in northeastern Shan state appears to be the biggest by regular army forces since widespread armed conflict in Myanmar broke out in 2021 after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February that year.