Rebel groups have attacked bases and
reportedly brought down a military helicopter. As expected, these attacks have
drawn a fierce response from the military, with new offensives forcing
thousands of people from ethnic states and regions to flee.
The displaced are increasingly fleeing into Thailand
and India as fighting escalates. A major refugee
crisis may be in the making as many of Southeast Asia’s governments maintain
their unwelcoming stances towards migrants.
Ethnic
rebel groups have accelerated attacks on the military
Myanmar appears to be on the verge of a full-blown
civil war as ethnic armed groups ramp up attacks on the military.
YANGON: A newly formed armed militia under Myanmar’s shadow government is gaining the support of community self-defense groups and ethnic armies against the military junta that seized control of the country more than three months ago.
Since the coup on Feb. 1, the junta has killed at least 772 civilians during nationwide protests against the army takeover and violence.
The National Unity Government (NUG), the shadow government of former lawmakers of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) who were ousted by the junta, announced on Wednesday the formation of the People’s Defense Force (PDF), a precursor to the planned Federal Union Army that would bring together all groups involved in armed resistance.
Nearly 200 Myanmar Troops Killed in Clashes With Karen Forces
Nearly 200 Myanmar Troops Killed in Clashes With Karen Forces
Karen National Liberation Army says its attacks are to show support for the National Unity Government.
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By The Irrawaddy 6 May 2021
Nearly 200 Myanmar military troops, including a colonel and a lieutenant colonel, were killed in clashes between the regime’s troops and the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU) in Karen State.
Military tension has risen in Hpapun area, Shwe Kyin and Thaton Districts, in Karen and Bago regions after the military wing of the KNU, Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 5 seized an outpost near the Salween River in Thi Mu Hta held by the military’s Light Infantry Division 349 on March 27.
Many of those who have fled to the jungles are members of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Now they want to know how to defend themselves from Myanmar's military, which continues to shoot people dead in the streets
At military camps in the Myanmar jungle, doctors and students learn how to fire guns
A dozen armed recruits crawl along a dusty pathway, the cicadas masking any sound of their approach towards their target, a small village in the jungles of Myanmar.
The ambush scenario is fabricated but the threat they are training for is real: a military junta that seized power in a coup on February 1, and embarked on a brutal crackdown on any perceived opposition to its rule.
Many of those who have fled to the jungles are members of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) which has seen thousands of white- and blue-collar workers, including medics and teachers, as well as engineers and factory workers, leave their jobs to disrupt the economy in resistance to the coup.