This morning around 7 am, a clash broke out between Karen National Union (KNU) and terrorist army near Kyaik Kaw Village of Thaton District as terrorist soldiers tried to attack civilians who were marching across the area in support of National Unity Government (NUG) under KNU’s protection. Two soldiers from military side were killed in action, another two were critically wounded while a number of military owned vehicles were also captured by KNU. As a retaliation, armed thugs chose to hit nearby villages with artillery the whole day and one villager was reportedly killed during the attacks. This is just another example of illegal military who tend to use excessive force in abducting innocent civilians but always come off second best when up against armed forces.
There are also reports of military thugs shooting at a boat carrying Thai security forces on the river of Thanlwin, near Thai-Myanmar border today. We learned that Thai security team was also armed but chose not to fire back. Although some wish for a military response from the neighbors, it is highly unlikely given the smooth relationship between two counterparts in authority who share a common ground in craving power and oppression.
Meanwhile in Yangon, protests reappeared in public today as groups of young protesters took to the streets in downtown to show their support towards NUG. It’s been a while since there were large rallies in the economic capital of Myanmar due to violent abductions and heavy military presence in the various parts of the city, many have had to participate in online movements instead. Of course, there are hundreds of people going out protesting in many different parts of the country from north to south everyday so it is not a big news but it’s encouraging to see our beloved city coming back to life. As soon as protesters ungrouped, a few terrorist soldiers came to the location but there was no report of abduction. We hope nobody was recognized so soldiers will not be able to conduct night raids.
But then raids are no longer being conducted only at nighttime. Military thugs have been violently abducting people day and night. Mya Yee Nandar housing from Mandalay is one of many places that have been targeted by terrorists since February because they believed some of warranted celebrities, CDM staffers and protesters were hiding in the compound. Four young protesters were abducted yesterday and six more people were taken today. However, if they want to arrest everyone who is speaking out against the coup, they will have to go after every housing, every city, every village of the country, not just Mya Yee Nandar housing.
We reported a few days ago that a group of young protesters were abducted in Yankin township and taken to Shwepyitha interrogation center which is known for excessive questioning tactics. We now hear that at least one girl from that group called Ma Khin Nyein Thu has been sexually assaulted by the soldiers. To abduct someone for simply expressing their opinions is bad enough, now junta’s forces are committing extreme crimes against humanity in the worst way possible. They have been doing the same to innocent people including women and children for years in ethnic areas and largely got away thanks to our ignorance. We must stop them now at all cost. It is way overdue.
We now hear that the coup leader Min Aung Hlaing will finally attend the meeting in person in Jakarta and he will leave tomorrow morning at 6am from Myanmar. While we at home wish and pray for unlikely INTERPOL’s interference, we are told that Myanmar people in Jakarta has already planned to protest along with Indonesian citizens wherever he visits in the city. We are really grateful for the unconditional support from fellow pro-democracy activists across the world while most of their respective governments stand still and fail to act. But we must also remember this does not end even when the coup leader is out of the picture, the ultimate mission is to rebuild the whole institution that is corrupted from top to bottom.
