11/22/22, 4:44 PM ‘Watermelon suppression’: doxing campaign targets pro-democracy soldiers and police | Frontier Myanmar A police officer who defected from the security forces, pictured in India in March, 2021 (AFP) Spreading slander Han Nyein Oo’s list also included Telegram users BaNyunt and Sergeant Phoe Si. Both have targeted so-called “watermelons” and are also participating in another campaign to undermine defecting soldiers. They and other social media users are spreading unsubstantiated rumours about defecting soldiers, seemingly in an attempt to discredit their reputations or claim they were kicked out of the military rather than having deserted. The posts often included homophobic or misogynistic claims about their sexual behaviour. In one post, a Facebook user claimed that a female soldier who defected had slept with her married superior officer while his wife was pregnant. On February 7, another pro-military user wrote that a defecting soldier “started his service only yesterday and pretends to know a lot about the Tatmadaw”. The post claimed the soldier was a “trainee” and was punished for sneaking out without permission. He accused him of being a gambler, drunk and womaniser who was in debt. But other defecting soldiers told Frontier the man in question was a lieutenant, an officer position that typically takes years of service to achieve. Kaung Thu Win, the captain who defected, was also targeted. In a post on January 10, a Facebook user claimed he was a homosexual drug user. The Facebook user only has 3,300 friends, and the post only received 180 reactions. But that same day, it was also shared by Sergeant Phoe Si and BaNyunt on Telegram, where they have over 27,000 and over 23,000 subscribers respectively. Both channels remain accessible on Telegram. “Once you leave the army, you will be attacked online… I already knew in advance,” Kaung Thu Win told Frontier, adding that he and his wife “are still laughing” at the slander. Kaung Thu Win said the military spreads disinformation to try to “create a misunderstanding” between defecting soldiers and the people. He claimed there is a special taskforce in Nay Pyi Taw dedicated to psychological warfare called the Tatmadaw Technology and Information Force. Frontier could not independently verify this claim, but in 2018 the New York Times reported that hundreds of military personnel were involved in anti-Rohingya social media campaigns. That article also said members of the team were based in military compounds in Nay Pyi Taw. Narratives discrediting defectors have also been spread in state media. The junta’s information minister recently told reporters that stories of defecting soldiers are “exaggerated”. He also called them “cowards who did not dare to admit their guilty moves in breaking the law”. https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/watermelon-suppression-doxing-campaign-targets-pro-democracy-soldiers-and-police/ 6/10