Shaking and clutching his T-shirt, Myanmar soldier Kyaw recalled the violence he said he was told to use on people in his own community -- orders that triggered his escape to India. 

Kyaw, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, was among 40 Myanmar nationals -- mostly police officers -- whom AFP met as they hid in an undisclosed location in India's northeastern state of Mizoram.

At least 180 people have been killed in Myanmar since the February 1 coup.

The violence has seen more than 300 Myanmar nationals -- many of them police officers and their families, as well as two military personnel -- enter Mizoram, a local helping with the border crossings told AFP on Monday.

Kyaw, a 24-year-old rifleman who said he had served in the military for around four years, is a member of the Chin, a mainly Christian minority in Myanmar.

He told AFP he had been ordered to inflict lethal violence among the Chin and inform on them.

"The military was giving orders to kill innocent people, who are like my own mother and father," he told AFP.

"Why should I kill my own people."

He said it took him four days to get to Mizoram on a motorcycle and on foot.

After calling home when he reached India, the father-of-two said he found out that his family house had been searched and his father arrested.

Another rifleman AFP spoke to said he also feared for his family's safety. "My friends shot at protesters and I was told to shoot as well... But I cannot kill my people. So, I ran away at night," the 21-year-old said.

Those AFP met said they had fled without their families because the journey was so difficult.

Twenty-four-year-old policewoman Chewa, whose name has also been changed, broke down in tears as she shared her story.

She said the soldiers were being given orders to shoot protesters, with police assigned to give extra security.

Chewa said she joined the civil disobedience movement, involving tens of thousands of government workers across Myanmar.

"I want democracy back," she said, her voice choking with emotion.