This article published in Deutsche Welle is by Naomi Conrad and Julia Bayer. Here is an excerpt:

As he witnessed the brutal crackdown on unarmed civilians protesting the army’s takeover, the young lieutenant felt increasingly disgusted. Soon after, he left without saying goodbye to his parents, fleeing the country first on motorbike and then on foot, aided across the border by local villagers. 

Along the way, he stuck to smaller roads, carefully avoiding checkpoints and detection.

For if caught, he knew he would pay a heavy price for his desertion: In Myanmar, army defectors are usually sentenced to death — which is then commuted to life in prison, as the death penalty has not been carried out in over three decades.

Read the full information here.