Burma coup resistance notes October 23, 2022
Junta jets bomb the country; two battles in Kachin State; chemical weapons used again; Burma money loses 80% of its value due to the coup.
The illegal military regime is lashing out with the few options it has left, namely aerial bombing and chemical weapons. Russian-supplied jets dropped bombs yesterday and today on Kaw T’Ree (Kawkareik) and Lay Kay Kaw in Kawthoolei, on Momauk in Kachin State, and on targets in Sagaing Region. The junta has been shifting troops around to respond to resistance attacks in different sites, but now these attacks are coming in too many locations, too frequently, for the shrinking supply of ground troops to respond. Airstrikes with jets are extremely expensive, however, and the regime can’t keep up this intensity of bombing indefinitely. Now the regime has deployed its latest advanced military hardware against civilians, Russian-made high-powered Kamov KA-29 Helix helicopters, used Oct. 19 in Sagaing Region; this aircraft has more and powerful machine guns as well as missiles. Meanwhile, not a single international ally or organization has responded to Burma’s people’s call for a no-fly zone to stop the bombings, which always target civilians.
Ethnic regions-------------------
In Kachin State, the junta launched an attack on a Kachin army camp at Longja Mountain yesterday near Momauk, east of Bhamo town. In that attack, the Kachin intercepted 3 columns of troops and fired on them. The number of the resulting casualties isn’t known yet, but it was bad enough that the regime sent in jets to drop bombs. Today the fighting spread to Mansi, which is south of Bhamo town.(Khit Thit Media, People's Spring)
In Dooplaya District of Kawthoolei (Myawaddy township on Burmese maps), junta troops again tried to invade Luko Nyaung Creek yesterday, firing 120mm mortars and then sending in troops. The Karen Cobra battalion killed 4 of them and repulsed the attack. No Karen soldiers were harmed there, but 4 were killed in the fighting at Kaw T’Ree. (Khit Thit Media)
The commander-in-chief of the Karenni army, Gen. Bi Htoo, gave a speech yesterday at the Karenni Army’s training class graduation, in which he said the Revolution should be brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible so that all the refugees can return home. He said the Karenni will not attend the junta’s fake peace talks, and he doesn’t recognize any political legitimacy of the junta, it must be completely eradicated. (People's Spring)
Junta scorched earth village terrorism campaign---------------
Troops fired on the historic village of Hanlingphyu yesterday, which is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site. After occupying Hanlinphyu, they began firing on surrounding villages, which set off a movement tens of thousands of people from 20 area communities. The troops now have mortar and sniper posts on high ground controlling the area.
People’s Defense Forces (PDFs)-----------------
Junta troops fired chemical weapons at a PDF camp in Monywa township of Sagaing Region yesterday. A gas bomb landed among 5 PDF soldiers, who became intoxicated and vomited; 4 of them escaped, but the 5th was immobilized and was captured and killed by the junta troops. (People's Spring)
In Magway Region, 90 PDF soldiers from several PDFs coordinated to fire small arms and locally-made mortars at a junta/Pyu Saw Htee terrorist camp and an army camp yesterday. Part of the Pyu Saw Htee camp was burned down in the attack, and the PDFs fired continuously at the army camp for nearly 2 hours. Casualties aren’t known, but one PDF soldier was killed. (Khit Thit Media)
In previously quiescent Irrawaddy Region, local PDFs are increasingly asserting themselves against junta targets. Yesterday they fired grenades at the police barracks at Shwe Laung in Myaungmya township, causing the police and troops to flee the station.
Political and economic-------------------
Burma’s pro-democracy United Nations ambassador, U Kyaw Moe Tun, renewed his increasingly urgent calls for the UN, and especially the Security Council, to make quick and clear decisions to end the killing in his country, especially in light of recent atrocities such as the Letyetkone school massacre and the hanging of 4 politicians. He said the lives of these innocent people are being treated as worthless.
Following the international Financial Action Task Force’s blacklisting of Burma as a money-laundering country on Oct. 21, the value of the kyat currency crashed even further than previously, reaching 6,300 kyats to the US dollar. Prior to the coup it was worth 1,300 to the US$, meaning that the coup has resulted in an 80% loss of the currency’s value.
The National Unity Government conducted another on-line sale of junta-owned property, this time small plots in Bahan township of Yangon. The plots sold out in 90 minutes and brought in US$8.75 million, which will be used in the fight against the junta and to support war refugees and liberated schools. (People's Spring)
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