Burma coup resistance notes October 31, 2022
"Every time there is an issue, it is the youth who come forward. The government follows later." -A soldier in the Spring Revolution
We are seeing more protracted battles, in which ethnic armies or large PDF coalitions face off against the junta for days at a time. This is new for the PDFs, who never had enough ammunition for more than about 30 minutes of fighting. It also means the Revolutionary forces are braving the junta’s mortar shelling and airstrikes, and suffering some casualties because of it. Guerrilla tactics and low junta morale mean most casualties are still on the junta side, however. Today’s news includes a 7-day battle in Kachin State and a 9-day fight in Sagaing Region, which together killed over 110 junta troops.
Ethnic regions-------------------
After a week of fighting and airstrikes at Longja Mountain in Kachin State, some results are now coming in: 81 dead junta soldiers have been brought back, including an officer, out of a force of 500; the original force on Oct. 22 was 100 troops, but they were reinforced on Oct. 28. A great many of the casualties happened on Oct. 29. The Kachin forces have captured a number of weapons from the junta. (People's Spring) Longja Mountain camp is 20 km from the Chinese border.
In Kawthoolei (Karen nation), the junta camps and positions are starting to fall like dominoes. In Doo Tha Htoo District (Hpa-an township on Burmese maps), the Karen army cleared out a junta-proxy BGF camp south of Kamamaung yesterday. All the BGF operatives were either killed, captured alive, or they fled. Weapons were captured. No details are reported yet on the number of killed/wounded/captured, or the weapons taken. (Salween Press)
In Beit-Tavoy District of Kawthoolei (Tanintharyi Region on Burmese maps), a PDF twice blew up a convoy heading from Dawei toward Myeik on Oct. 28, killing at least 20 of the troops on board and wounding 10 or more. Two trucks were damaged. (Khit Thit Media)
In Taw Oo District of Kawthoolei (Thandaunggyi township on Burmese maps), Karen army snipers shot at junta troops Oct. 28-29 at Ywenyaungpin camp, killing 3 of them. (Khit Thit Media)
Junta army desertions------------------
It turns out that the 5 troops who recently defected from the junta army to Karen army Brigade 6 in Dooplaya District of Kawthoolei (Kyainseikgyi township on Burmese maps) were forcibly recruited by the junta after being abducted on minor charges like curfew violation. They had little training or military experience when they defected. (Khit Thit Media) This gives some insight into the current state of the junta army – untrained, inexperienced, and unwilling to fight.
Junta scorched earth village terrorism campaign---------------
Troops burned down Konetanlay and Ma U Pin villages in Sagaing Region yesterday, and kidnapped the village leader, the Buddhist monastery abbot, and 4 others as human shields and guides to look for PDFs. (Than Lwin Khet News)
During a village destruction raid yesterday in Indaw township, Sagaing Region, terrorist troops found photos of a PDF graduation ceremony in the mobile phone of a 17-year-old boy, and beat him to death. (People's Spring)
Members of the Resistance talk about having a secret phone with their real contacts, pictures, social media, etc., and a second, public phone for traveling, with nothing incriminating. They may also have duplicate social media accounts – a real one with a pseudonym (like စီၤ ထံဆၢ) and posts about what they’re really doing, and a superficial one with their real name and ordinary, innocuous posts about boy/girlfriends, music, etc. This is life during a war in a police state. The boy in Indaw township probably got caught at home when troops invaded and was unable to stash his real phone. There are many instances where someone got caught, and all of the people they associate with suddenly had to disappear and get to liberated areas because the junta uses its victim’s phones to bust urban PDFs and other resistance networks.
People’s Defense Forces (PDFs)-----------------
In Sagaing Region, a large PDF coalition has been fighting junta/Pyu Saw Htee forces for the past 9 days in Kantbalu township. The PDFs counter-attacked as the terrorists were ravaging villages; they were able to kill a total of 30 junta operatives during the 9 days, using landmines, drone bombs, and rifle fire. Three PDF soldiers also died. As many as 30,000 people were driven from their homes by the junta onslaught, and some had their refugee tents destroyed also. Of the original 100 junta/Pyu Saw Htee column, about 50 are still active and invading villages. (Khit Thit Media)
In Tamu town, junta troops burned down a tea shop the evening of Oct. 28 because PDF members had sat there that morning. Junta and Pyu Saw Htee terrorists control the town center, while the PDFs control everything else. (People's Spring)
Four PDF soldiers were killed in Shwebo township on Oct. 29; as they were preparing to attack, they were caught by junta/Pyu Saw Htee operatives. Two were killed by gunfire and 2 others were caught alive and then killed. (People's Spring)
In Mandalay Region, 9 junta police were drinking at a karaoke bar in Myinchan township 2 nights ago Oct. 29, when a PDF arrived, discreetly asked bar staff to get all civilians out of the room, then threw 3 grenades inside and followed up with gunfire, killing the police. The commander was among the dead. (Khit Thit Media)
In Bago Region, PDFs bombed a column of 36 junta troops in Paungde township yesterday, killing 4 of them. (Khit Thit Media)
Urban warfare------------------
In Mandalay, an urban PDF threw a bomb into a junta admin office in Pyigyidagon township this morning, killing a junta administrator and a staff member. (Mizzima)
Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM)-------------------
The Burma diaspora in Los Angeles, USA held a fundraiser screening of the film “The Rainwater I Didn’t Drink” (မသောက်မိသော မိုးခါးရေ) and raised over US$40,000 for the Spring Revolution back home. The film traces a CDM soldier taking footage in the jungle with his mobile phone. (Mizzima)
Likewise, members of the Burma diaspora in Bangkok, Thailand held a men’s and women’s football tournament yesterday and raised ฿75,000 Thai baht for a PDF in Palay township of Sagaing Region.
- စီၤ ထံဆၢ