Burma coup resistance notes January 13, 2024
Civilian massacres in Sagaing; Kutkai falls to the Ta’ang; Karenni control most of Pekhon; Arakan & Kachin take more camps.
Northern Shan-------------------
Kutkai finally fell to the Ta’ang on Jan. 7. The last remaining holdout camp surrendered, and the Ta’ang gave them safe passage back to Lashio after disarming them. Theinni is also under full Ta’ang control. (Ayeyarwaddy Times 1/7) Fighting is still ongoing for control of Kyaukme, Momeik, and Naungcho.
The Ta’ang army and Mandalay PDF moved from Shan State into Pyin Oo Lwin Township in Mandalay Region, attacking a junta camp at Kyaukmelay starting Jan. 7, just 25 km from the junta’s training HQ in Pyin Oo Lwin town. Pyin Oo Lwin is the last major stepping stone on the way to Mandalay, Burma’s second city. Junta dependents have already begun fleeing the town ahead of anticipated Revolution attack. (People's Spring 1/9)
The Ta’ang and Wa have begun campaigns for official recognition of state jurisdictions corresponding to their homelands, separate from Shan State. (The Irrawaddy B 1/7) The 1952 Burmese demarcation placed them and the Kokang in Shan State, along with parts of the Kachin, Karenni, Pa-O, and other ethnic homelands.
Kachin-------------------
The Kachin army and allied PDF attacked and captured 2 junta camps in Hpakant Township on Jan. 6. The attack began with mortars and drone bombs, to which the junta responded with jet bombing. By day’s end the Kachin overran and occupied the camps at Whekah and Nampdaym. (Khit Thit Media 1/6) Another outpost at a dam was captured in Puta-O Township on Jan. 6. (People's Spring 1/7)
Arakan-------------------
An entire junta camp surrendered to the Arakan Army at Taungyang about 20 km northeast of Pauktaw on Jan. 6. (Khit Thit Media 1/7) The AA has been battling for control of Pauktaw town since December. Meanwhile, 50 defeated junta troops from the Chinletwa camp ran away to India, 10 were caught by the AA, and 6 were killed. (Mizzima 1/7) The AA seized another camp in Myauk Oo Township on Jan. 8. (Khit Thit Media 1/9)
On Jan. 8 the Arakan Army began attacking the junta’s Danyawaddy naval base near the Kyaukpyu Chinese port project. In Minbya Township the AA attacked 3 junta battalion camps. Jets then dropped bombs on the town, sparking large fires. (The Irrawaddy B 1/11)
In Paletwa Township, where the AA is attempting to clear out the last remaining junta camps, it captured the most senior junta general, there, Gen. Zin Myo Swe, on Jan. 12. (Myaelatt Athan 1/12)
Kawthoolei-------------------
The battle for Kaw T’Ree town (Kawkareik) continues. Karen forces occupy part of the town. A battle at the police barracks on Jan. 5 killed 7 junta troops. Indiscriminate mortar fire by the embattled junta injured or killed some of its own troops. The battle has lasted over a month and most residents have fled. (Karen Information Center 1/6)
Karen-led forces continue to expand their challenges to the junta for control of the old Yangon-Naypyitaw highway. After clearing junta positions in Kanyutkwin on Jan. 4, they attacked the junta a short distance south in Penwi Kone on Jan. 5. (Mizzima 1/6) This is close to the ongoing battle in Natthankwin, where over 20 junta troops have died in the past week in a futile attempt to take back control of the town from Karen forces. (Ayeyarwaddy Times 1/12) Further north, Revolutionary forces are battling the junta in Yetashei Township adjacent to Naypyitaw Region. (Mizzima 1/9)
A junta patrol of 40 troops was surrounded by PDFs in Taungoo Township on Jan. 11. The PDFs demanded their surrender, but the junta troops refused, and in the resulting battle about 30 were killed and the rest were taken prisoner. All of their weapons were appropriated by the PDFs. (People's Spring 1/11)
The junta abandoned a 3rd camp in Htaw Ta Htoo Township (Htantabin) in Taw Oo District. The Dae Loh camp was vacated by its 20 or so troops on Jan. 2 and destroyed by Karen forces shortly after. It was reported on Jan. 7. Three camps were abandoned in 3 days. (People's Spring 1/7) The junta’s footprint is steadily shrinking.
Junta bombing of a funeral home killed 4 civilians and injured 16 in Saw Ti Township (Shwejin) of Kler Lwi Htoo District. Children were among the dead. (KNU via Than Lwin Times 1/7)
Karenni------------------
Fighting has been fierce in Pekhon town, where Karenni defense forces destroyed the junta police barracks on Jan. 8 and cleared junta positions in the town’s admin offices. Karenni forces now control most of Pekhon town. The junta responded with jet bombing. Karenni forces captured 2 other junta camps in late December near Pekhon. (Shan News B 1/8) Pekhon controls the supply route to Loikaw and Demawso.
Mon------------------
A Mon PDF stormed and destroyed a junta police barracks at Kawza in Ye Township of Mon State on Jan. 7. (Khit Thit Media 1/7)
Ethnic armies------------------
The Irrawaddy Burmese Edition carried a reportage on Jan. 6 about forced recruitment on the part of ethnic armies generally, and in particular the members of the Brotherhood Alliance (Ta’ang, Kokang, and Arakan armies) which now control almost all of northern Shan State. This allegation is backed up by a report by Human Rights Watch. While this problem is still dwarfed by the junta’s coercion of recruits and labor, it is still resented by the affected populations. Male youth are demanded from households, or are abducted from refugee camps and convoys, or if boys are not available, girls are taken, or money. It is a problem that will hopefully end when the war does. (https://burma.irrawaddy.com/opinion/viewpoint/2024/01/06/378097.html)
People’s Defense Forces (PDFs)-----------------
PDFs fired rockets into an Independence Day celebration inside the junta’s northwest military command HQ in Monywa, Sagaing Region on Jan. 4. The explosions damaged the staging ground, officers’ quarters, and a guard post, and the ceremony was suspended. (People's Spring 1/7)
PDF troops under the National Unity Government stormed a junta police barracks at Thanthopyipyay in Homalin Township of Sagaing Region on Jan. 7. (Khit Thit Media 1/7)
In Kantbalu township of northern Sagaing Region PDFs cleared out a junta/Pyu Saw Htee terrorist camp that had ravaged surrounding villages, on Jan. 11. The PDFs said 25 enemy died during the assault and 14 weapons were seized. (People's Spring 1/11)
In Khin Oo Township of Sagaing Region PDFs drone-bombed 20 pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee terrorists who were trying to steal the harvest from the fields of village paddy farmers, killing 4 Pyu Saw Htees and wounding 6. This was the 4th time the PDFs have counter-attacked them. The Pyu Saw Htees are surrounded and running low on food. (Chindwin Yoma News 1/8)
A junta column entered a village in Nwatoji Township of Mandalay Region on Jan. 8. The local PDF dropped 6 drone bombs on the troops and then opened fire, killing at least 10 of them. (Khit Thit Media 1/10)
Junta decline------------------
Of the more than 2,000 junta troops who surrendered Jan. 4 in the Kokang region, many of them were from non-combat functions such as medical, communication, military academy faculty, military technology university faculty, guards, and fire brigade. Many had no combat experience, including senior officers from those support functions. (The Irrawaddy B 1/6) This is part of the explanation for the mass surrenders seen since Operation 10/27 began. The depleted junta is sending non-soldiers to face battle-tested ethnic and PDF forces against whom they stand no chance.
The six generals who surrendered to Kokang forces at Kutkai on Jan. 4 were arrested by their own army after the Kokang returned them to their command center at Lashio on 5. They are being prosecuted for disobedience and irresponsibility. (People's Spring 1/7) Seeing the 6 generals arrested, many other junta officers among those who surrendered at Laukkai fled and went into hiding. (Khit Thit Media 1/12)
The junta has stopped notifying the families of soldiers’ deaths in battle because it believes many desertions result from the demoralization after these deaths. (Khit Thit Media 1/9)
Terrorism--------------------
Junta troops found a gathering of rice buyers and sellers in Wuntho Township of Sagaing Region on Jan. 5 and kidnapped 19 people. They stole the rice and the vehicles and took them away. Two days later all 19 hostages were found with hands tied and shot to death. (Khit Thit Media 1/7)
Junta jets dropped four 500 pound bombs between a high school and a crowded Methodist temple during Sunday worship in Kanan village near Kampat in Sagaing Region on Jan. 1, killing 17 civilians including 6 children and injuring 11. The junta then prevented the injured from reaching hospitals in towns it still controls like Tamu. Junta propaganda claimed falsely that it bombed a PDF meeting and killed 50 PDF soldiers. Given the timing and placement of the bombs, it was evidently a deliberate massacre of civilians by the terrorist regime. (People's Spring 1/7, Khit Thit Media 1/12) Khampat was liberated in November and a junta attempt to retake it failed in December.
Another airstrike on a civilian village at Namsan Myothit in northern Shan State killed 8 people including 5 school teachers and destroyed a school and some homes on Jan. 7. Casualties would have been a lot worse except that the school was mostly vacant on a Sunday. (Shwe Phee Myay 1/7)
Jet bombing has killed over 73 civilians in the Kokang Region since Operation 10/27 began in late October. (People's Spring 1/9)
Political and economic-------------------
Kawthoolei government (KNU) chief Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win gave a speech on Karen New Year (Jan. 11) in which he echoed the northern Brotherhood alliance, saying that the armed campaign must be pursued until the illegal junta is eradicated. The leaders of the country’s ethnic armies are in agreement on this. (The Irrawaddy E 1/12)
Before its fall to the Kokang army, the city of Laukkai on the Chinese border was home to a massive cyber- and telephone scam operation targeting Chinese citizens that netted US$14 billion per year, according to a report in the Bangkok Post. The crime was operated by 4 prominent families with tight connections to the Burma military, who are also involved in illegal drug production. Up to 100,000 people reportedly worked in this syndicate, many of them forced through human trafficking. Over 40,000 Chinese nationals were arrested in Laukkai and deported to their country. Just prior to Laukkai’s fall, the junta airlifted the leaders of the 4 crime families to Naypyitaw, and it is anticipated that they will move to other crime centers that they own on the Kawthoolei-Thailand border, such as Shwe Kokkol and KK Park. The scams and drugs have been a source of revenue to the junta, so the fall of Laukkai represents a major income loss for the illegal regime. (Bangkok Post 1/6, “Myanmar military ‘protected $14bn scam hub’”)
China staged another “ceasefire” between the northern Brotherhood Alliance and the illegal Naypyitaw junta that was to begin Jan. 11. The alliance was to stop attacking and the junta was to stop bombing. The jets kept bombing, however. The Beijing government congratulated itself nonetheless. Cross-border trade was to restart; that remains to be seen. (Khit Thit Media 1/13)
-စီၤ ထံဆၢ