defection

That means even a single Republican defection in the House would be enough to sink a bill.

The army said he had brought "a large number of his forces" with him, in what it described as the first high-profile defection to its side.

Rebel groups have rejected a peace offer from Myanmar’s embattled junta, which is reeling from battlefield losses and defections in a civil war that has dragged on for more than three years.

But even a handful of Democratic defections could matter.

He also escaped compulsory conscription, which the Myanmar army has been enforcing to make up for defections and battlefield losses.