Burma coup resistance notes October 27, 2022
International charities' deals with the devil; 100+ villagers taken as junta hostages still missing a week later; battle rages in Sagaing with junta resorting to airstrikes.
The Dutch charity Medical Action for Myanmar fired 90 of its staff as demanded by the junta as a condition for renewing its permit to work in Burma, because those staff members had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement after the coup. Many, but not all, international organizations make accommodations with the illegitimate regime in order to continue their operations, rather than pulling out of junta-controlled territory and re-entering through liberated areas where most humanitarian needs exist. Other charities have relocated their personnel outside Burma’s borders and work through cross-border local partners. The National Unity Government says it is setting up an oversight and punitive process for international organizations doing business with the junta, i.e. those who sign or renew memoranda of understanding, pay taxes, and subject their activities to junta directives. (Khit Thit Media)
Ethnic regions-------------------
As if killing 80 concert-goers on Oct. 23 wasn’t enough, junta troops are now trying to track down and abduct the survivors from that night, and anyone mourning the dead, and anyone caught transporting the bodies for burial. (Kachin News Group)
The Kachin army is fighting the junta in at least 3 locations. An all-day battle took place yesterday in Mongpo (northern Shan State on Burmese maps), while a multi-day battle still continued at Longja Mountain east of Momauk, where there have been jet airstrikes. Junta troops are also firing mortar barrages in Hpakant township, where the regime massacred more than 80 people at a concert on Oct. 23. (People's Spring)
In Karenni State, a 4-year-old boy was killed and at least 10 other children wounded by a junta shell at a playground in Pikinkawku village, Loikaw township yesterday. The junta has racked up a high death toll of children in the past couple of months.
In Dooplaya District of Kawthoolei (Kawkareik township on Burmese maps), junta troops who had returned to Kaw T’Ree town after being expelled by the Karen army fired mortars into the town today, hitting a bridge where a shell killed 2 civilians and injured 16, including a child who lost a leg. (Kawkareik Open News) In Beit-Tavoy District (Tanintharyi Region on Burmese maps), a day after junta troops terrorized villages in Thayetchaung township in a search for PDFs, the PDFs there yesterday staged a public rally promising justice for the Oct. 23 massacre in Kachin State. (Mizzima)
Update on the Oct. 25 takeover of the junta camp at Kwilondaing by the Karen army: There was fighting, and 2 junta soldiers died and 17 surrendered, rather than the 30 first reported. (The Irrawaddy)
Karen army Brigade 5 announced results of fighting in Mutraw District (Hpapun township on Burmese maps) during the period Oct. 24-26. On Oct. 24 Brigade 5 attacked junta troops at Ka Tai Toh, where 4 of the enemy were killed. On Oct. 25 (2 days ago) two skirmishes were fought at Ma Taw and Myenikone villages in Dwelo township; casualties haven’t been quantified. Yesterday Brigade 5 attacked a junta camp at Sa Law Jo in Dwelo township, killing at least 1 junta soldier. The junta responded by firing a dozen mortar rounds into a nearby village, damaging a house. (Mizzima)
In Arakan State, Arakan Army soldiers shot some junta soldiers as they were bathing in a stream in Rathedaung township yesterday, leading to a firefight with some other junta troops who had their clothes on and their weapons. The number of casualties isn’t known yet. (Myanmar Now)
Junta scorched earth village terrorism campaign---------------
Over 100 villagers were kidnapped as hostages by junta terrorists over a week ago, and still haven’t been released. They are from Petdawye village in Natmauk township, Magway Region. (Mizzima)
The junta’s village terrorism campaign has driven the total number of domestic refugees since the coup to over 1.6 million, according to the Instutitute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar. One million of those were displaced in calendar 2022 to date; 41% are in Sagaing Region, where the village terror campaign is most severe. (Than Lwin Times)
People’s Defense Forces (PDFs)-----------------
Sagaing Region PDFs say they borrow military-grade weapons from each other for short-term combat needs, and at the same time are raising money to purchase more of these weapons, namely AK-47 rifles. Lending guns is a coping mechanism for the shortage of weapons to fight the junta; it allows the PDFs to strategically shift arms around to where they are needed at any given moment. (People's Spring)
In Sagaing Region, an intense battle is occurring in northwestern Palay township today. Airstrikes by 2 jets indicate that the fighting may be going badly for the junta, but details aren’t available yet. Local PDFs have about 100 junta troops hemmed in in Palampin village, unable to escape for the past 2 days.
A PDF attacked a Pyu Saw Htee terrorist camp yesterday with 20 locally-manufactured mortar rounds; casualties aren’t known. Two days prior, a PDF attacked those Pyu Saw Htee, killing 2, wounding 3, and capturing 10. (Mizzima)
A PDF in Tantse town fired 40mm grenades at troops guarding a junta-owned bank, killing 4 of them; the PDF wanted to fire grenades at the survivors, but there were civilians in the bank, so they didn’t. In Myaung township, a PDF bombed a junta gang from the Kyaukyit camp on the night of Oct. 25; the gang had been attacking villages; about 10 troops were killed. In Shwebo township, 5 Pyu Saw Htee terrorists on motorcycles were blown up yesterday by a PDF mine. (Khit Thit Media)
In Magway Region a PDF fired 40mm grenades and rifles at a junta police station in Pauk township, killing 2 police.
In Mandalay Region, a PDF dropped at least 4 drone bombs on junta troops occupying a vacant high school in Myinchan township yesterday, killing 4 on site; another died later at the hospital. (Mizzima)
Political-------------------
The National Unity Government Defense Minister U Yi Mon says a common factor among captured junta troops is that they are on addictive drugs and have drugs with them. The drugs are provided by the army, and are a means of keeping the troops loyal in the face of hardships and an increasingly hopeless military outlook. (Mizzima) Stupefication also allows the troops to commit atrocities that would be nearly inconceivable in a normal state of mind.
-စီၤ ထံဆၢ