A former officer of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) who recently defected to Myanmar’s military junta is forcibly recruiting former fighters and abducting their family members as hostages to build a pro-junta Lisu militia, according to local sources.
 Gu See, an ethnic Lisu and former officer in TNLA Brigade 3, surrendered to junta forces in Kyaukme on October 11 alongside approximately 50 subordinates, bringing 49 weapons. 
 After the formal reception hosted by the junta's Central Region Military Command in Mandalay, Gu See returned to Mogok to launch a coercive recruitment drive in tandem with the regime’s Office of the Chief of Military Security Affairs.
 Targeting Mogok Township in Mandalay Region and Momeik (Mongmit) Township in northern Shan State, the defectors and junta forces are hunting down officially retired ethnic Lisu TNLA personnel.
 Residents reported that when former fighters cannot be located, junta forces and Gu See’s group detain their family members as hostages.
 At least 51 individuals are currently being held at a temporary military base in Mogok. 
 The detainees include 15 former TNLA fighters from Momeik Township's Bawday and Aungmyin villages, alongside 36 relatives—including parents and children—held after the targeted ex-fighters could not be found.
 "If someone previously served with the TNLA but is away looking for work, they abduct his father," a Mogok resident said. "They are essentially holding civilians hostage while pressuring Lisu households in Momeik to provide at least one recruit per family."
 On October 19, the TNLA and its political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), issued an official statement confirming that U Gu See and over 50 Lisu troops had broken their oath and defected. 
 The TNLA formally severed all ties with the group and warned that it would take defensive action to protect civilians if the defectors commit further abuses against local populations.
 According to military sources, Gu See was a former police officer who joined the TNLA during Operation 1027 in late 2023. 
 After being given command of a Lisu unit, he reportedly engaged in illegal gemstone-mining extortion and corrupt activities. 
 When the TNLA leadership ordered his unit to relocate from Momeik to Namhsan Township, Gu See defied the order and chose to surrender to the regime instead.
 Local community members have warned ethnic Lisu residents across Mogok and Momeik to remain on high alert as the junta and Gu See intensify forced recruitment and abduction drives. 
 Photo caption: Locals seen with TNLA troops when they previously entered Mogok town. (File photo / Photo: Mai A Hein)