Hi, Dear Asean Friends
All the pictures in this post belong to https://www.irrawaddy.com The best independent magazine about Burma and S.E.A.
Today, I won't post about my adventures inside the Karen state of Burma (Myanmar) but about the news as in the past three days fight between the Karens (KNU, KNLA, KNDO, DKBA) with the help of the PDF (People's Defence Force) are fighting the against Myanmar army (Tatmadaw). The situation is at the highest since the coup last 01 February 2021, when the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) seized the power after fair elections that resulted in a landslide victory for the NLD (National League for Democracy) the famous party led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with more than 80% of the seat in the parliament and a little 6.2% for the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) giving them no power to choose the puppet they want as a President. So, on 01 February 2021 about an hour before the new parliament to seat for their first time, the Generalissimo Min Aung Hlaing sent militaries to each NLD parliamentary and arrest them. Claiming that the elections were rigged despite the presence of independent observers such as the Asian Network for Free Elections saying the outcome of the vote was "by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar". For nearly a year all NLD representatives are in jail and a few are in a hideout abroad.
Because it was the will of the people of Myanmar to see the NLD as the Country Head of State, people started to go in the street and ask for their voting will to be respected but instead, the Tatmadaw started to respond with extreme violence and even started to shout at people with war weapons in the street of every town where people engage in a demonstration. Quickly the death numbers started to rise and all schools and universities were closed. Many of the universities students started to walk in the direction of the jungles to ask the insurgent armies such as the Karens, the Kachins, the Shans, the Arakan's, and others to help them by giving them training and weapons so they can help in the fight against the dictatorship of the Tatmadaw.
Today, already some of these students after only three months of training are back in their hometowns with weapons and create a network of fighters. Also many are in the jungle fighting alongside the Karens and other ethnic armies against the Tatmadaw.
Lately, the Karens have seized and burned many Tatmadaw outpost and jungle bases, have killed and injured many of them, and also have made 10 prisoners mostly officers as they can speak about things they need to know and anticipate. Usually, they don't take prisoners only to gather some intel. In response to the Karen offensive on the Tatmadaw. The army decided to send troops in civilian villages and take women and children as they always do killing women and children so there is no Karen next generation. But as they come to the villages they found fierce resistance as the Karen army was already here to protect villagers. In response, the Tatmadaw Headquater decided to send the air force and bomb the villages resulting in many dead and 11 Karen soldiers being captured.
Many villagers have fled the areas and about 2500 villagers have fled to Thailand. Thailand doesn't take a position on what's happening in Myanmar as they respect the sovereignty of the countries but they are very good to give help to the refugees and very fast to respond to the demand. Thailand has made a few places to give them temporary shelter, medical services, 3 meals a day, and many assistances and protect the refugees in case of... Yesterday a mortar has landed in Thailand and the government has asked Myanmar to take care of this kind of thing to not happen again.
Now Myanmar has asked the KNU (Karen National Union) to exchange their prisoners and make a term to the fight but Karens have heard this song since the beginning of the Karen insurrection back in 1949.
Karens are strictly following the 4 principles dictated by Saw Ba U Gyi great leader from the beginning of the insurrection dead in an ambush in 1950.
1 - Surrender is out of the question
2 - The recognition of the Karen country must be completed.
3 - We shall retain our arms.
4 - We shall decide our own political destiny.
Like my Karen friend says: Hope for the best, Prepare for the worst!