Burma coup resistance notes December 28, 2022
The junta weaponizes hunger & health care, while suffering heavy battlefield losses in Karen State & Sagaing Region
The junta’s war on children, the ultimate soft targets, continues. In Kler Lwi Htoo District of Kawthoolei (Kyaukgyi township on Burmese maps), 7-year-old Thon Waddy Kyaw was killed in her house by a junta mortar shell in Kawpyin village of Mone township 2 days ago Dec. 26. The house was destroyed. (Khit Thit Media)
Ethnic regions-------------------
Karen forces inflicted heavy casualties yesterday on an advancing junta column in Dooplaya District of Kawthoolei (Kawkareik township on Burmese maps). The junta sent troops toward Shwe Jet Min Pagoda Hill in Kaw T’Ree township, and Karen snipers opened up on them, dropping several in the first volley and halting the advance. Another junta battalion then came to reinforce the first one, and also suffered casualties. Fifteen junta troops were killed yesterday and 8 seriously wounded including a Major, whose injuries may be fatal. A Russian-supplied helicopter then came to shoot at the Karen. Karen forces captured weapons from the dead and wounded junta troops. They suffered some casualties as well but details aren’t out. (Ayeyarwaddy Times)
In Beit-Tavoy District of Kawthoolei (Tanintharyi Region on Burmese maps), a PDF in Yepyu township set off roadside bombs on a 14-vehicle junta convoy this morning. The frenzied junta drivers ran over a 20-year-old woman and crushed her to death. Junta casulties aren’t known. (Mizzima)
The battle between Kachin army-led forces and junta troops in Indaw township of northern Sagaing Region continued into a 2nd day yesterday. Five PDF soldiers have been injured; junta casualties haven’t been quantified, but witnesses say they run into the dozens, out of 170 troops total. As always, the regime responded with airstrikes and arson, destroying 26 homes in Meza village. (Khit Thit Media)
Junta scorched earth village terrorism campaign---------------
A gang of 40 junta troops is burning villages along the west bank of the Irrawaddy River in Sagaing township today. So far they have burned Ywathitji, Myinsei, Myitbay, Tatain, Sapyi, and Myittha. Junta drones are shooting at civilians, wounding 4 of them. Troops burned 4 wagonloads of the refugees’ belongings.
About 100 troops shot at and invaded Kin village in Myaing township, Magway Region 2 days ago Dec. 26. The villagers fled into the forest, but the troops hunted them, killing an old woman and a man. The troops then camped overnight in Kin, killed all the livestock, looted the houses, burned the vehicles, then left the next day. (Myaelatt Athan)
Demonstrating again that civilian death, rather than intimidation, is their objective, junta troops fired mortars at refugees hiding in a forest in Myaung township on Dec. 25, preventing a delivery of humanitarian supplies such as food and blankets. The delivery was being carried out by a local PDF. Refugees and PDF both moved further into the forest in order to complete the food delivery. The next day and yesterday troops continued firing mortars at the homeless civilians in the forest; yesterday another food delivery was made. (People's Spring)
The body has been found of one of 4 villagers kidnapped by junta troops from Seinpan Kone in Maddaya township, Mandalay Region. The body was mutilated and the head was squashed. The other 3 are still missing. The troops burned Seinpan Kone on Dec. 24.
People’s Defense Forces (PDFs)-----------------
The battle that began in Kani township of Sagaing Region on Dec. 19 is still ongoing. Previously the junta death toll was reported as 35, but it is now over 40, as a large PDF coalition surrounds and fires locally-manufactured mortars at the invaders. The battle began when PDFs fired on 8 junta supply boats ascending the Chindwin River, and 150 junta troops marched up the west bank to stop them, and were intercepted by a multi-PDF alliance. Six PDF soldiers have also died. Four of the junta supply boats have run aground and are stranded and under PDF fire. (Khit Thit Media)
A PDF coalition attacked a Pyu Saw Htee terrorist gang and killed 3 of them while they were attacking Son village of Ngazun township, Mandalay Region yesterday. About 10 others were wounded. (Khit Thit Media)
In Magway Region, a PDF hung an anti-junta banner in Thayet township last night that read, “The End of the War Dogs 2023”. When junta troops came to remove the banner, a bomb went off. More troops then came and began shooting guns, and a second bomb exploded. Casualties aren’t reported. (Myaelatt Athan)
A PDF coalition attacked a 160-member Pyu Saw Htee terror gang that was assaulting Zinchaung village in Thabeikjin township Dec. 23-27. The PDF says it killed many Pyu Saw Htees, as many as 30. (The Irrawaddy)
In Bago Region, a junta proxy political party member who had been passing information to the military about PDF movements was assassinated on yesterday. (Myaelatt Athan)
Urban warfare------------------
The junta has ordered 5 Mandalay hospitals closed as part of its ongoing assault on the health sector, which began soon after the Feb. 2021 coup d'état. The junta is closing the hospitals because it believes medical professionals support the resistance movement, which is true, but the regime cares little for the impact on health services for the population. A striking doctor who was receiving care at one of the 5 closed hospitals was seized by troops recently, and a striking nurse was tortured to death during interrogation after being abducted on suspicion of providing medicines to field hospitals in liberated areas. (People's Spring)
Political and economic-------------------
The junta is claiming that a nationwide census will be done January 9-31 to prepare voter rolls for the fake election in August. Of course, the junta has no access to about half of the country which is governed by ethnic homeland governments and PDFs. Furthermore, junta violence has driven much of the population of central Burma away from their communities as refugees, so they can’t be reached by a census. In addition, junta administration staff suffers from understaffing due to the Civil Disobedience strike. (Mizzima) But more fundamentally, most of the national population will not participate voluntarily in any phase of the fake election process. There is zero possibility of a valid census being conducted. Whatever the regime comes up with for voter rolls will necessarily be mostly fiction.
There is a report in The Irrawaddy’s radio program about junta officers engaging in human trafficking to try to replenish the army’s dwindling troop numbers. https://bit.ly/3PPxsIa
-စီၤ ထံဆၢ