Military convoys, police stations and military-affiliated locations and individuals have been heavily pressured by the people’s defense forces and underground guerilla resistance groups in Yangon, Magway and Sagaing regions in the past two days. To some of us who are losing hope in the resistance movement, here are some coverage for you to revive your hopes.
Yaw-People’s Defense Force (YDF) announced today that two junta’s military convoys consisting of over 150 military personnel were attacked by landmines around Yaw-Kyaut Htu Road in Magway Region’s Gangaw District on the morning of October 9, killing more than 20 soldiers. The attacks occurred at 5am and since then YDF and regime troops were engaged in combat until 4pm, according to the announcement. In another part of Magway Region in Yesagyo Township, a three-vehicle military convoy carrying sustenance for 258th light infantry division was caught in a landmine attack by Yesagyo-People’s Defense Force (YSO-PDF) around 4pm on October 9. According to YSO-PDF, only one vehicle was hit and they all drove away quickly. But in the aftermath, the regime troops were reported to be terrorizing the nearby villages by shooting arbitrarily.
In Sagaing Region, four-vehicle military convoy and patrolling regime forces in motorcycles were attacked respectively in Monya and Taze townships last night and this morning. In Monywa, the landmine attack happened around 9pm near an industrial zone and two vehicles were reportedly burned down with several soldiers injured. The attack was a joint-effort between PDF-South Monywa, Monywa Heroes Group and Monywa Nightking. In Taze Township, a patrolling military convoy, consisting 24 motorcycles was attacked around 11am this morning near Thitsay Kone and Nabat Gyi villages, killing more than two soldiers according to Taze-People’s Defense Force (TPC).
Landmine attacks weren’t the only one occurring in some of these regions as well. In Mon State, Ye-PDF launched a time bomb attack at the police station in Ye Township’s Nhit Karen village as a warning for the police to join the civil disobedience movement. The attack occurred around 5pm yesterday and another attack would occur in a week if the police continue to side with the military regime, Ye-PDF warned. Since last night, more bomb attack warnings were also happening in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo and Sagaing townships and six townships in Yangon.
In Sagaing Region, a total of 20 bomb explosions took place last night and this morning. One of the attacks happened this morning at Shwebo Myoma police station where there is a sign saying “Don’t surround us, you will die”. PDF-Shwebo said they surrounded the police station from every corner and blasted it with ten bombs. No injuries or casualties were verified at the time of the reporting. Yangon saw explosions in Thingangyun, Dala, Dawbon, Thanlyin, Thaketa and Hlaing townships today. We know violence is not the answer but please, this concept cannot be applied to Min Aung Hlaing, the regime and its followers considering everything that they have put the normal civilians through in the past eight months.
With military troops facing consecutive attacks since September 7, the regime forces seem to be forcibly recruiting more people as well. Residents of Shwegyin Township in Bago Region said the regime personnel have been forcing the villagers to either join Pyithusit, a militia under Tatmadaw or to pay money. About 30 people were demanded from each village tract. According to one resident, the villages near the ethnic armed group-controlled areas were discreetly approached for manpower, but the villages near the military posts or the towns were rather heavily pressured. In one village, the regime forces threatened the villagers to join the militia three times or to pay 100,000 MMK (about 50 USD) as a fee for them to hire someone else according to DVB News.
Speaking of Pyithusit, residents said Pyithusit trainings began starting from October 9 in Nawngmun village in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township. The trainings are happening at Makweza military post in a response to fight back against the joint-effort of Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and PDFs in Kachin State. There is no internet connection in Nawngmun area so people are worried that the attendees would just be deceived by the words of Pyithusit leaders and more clashes would occur in the area, one Putao resident said. The training was initially supposed to begin in September but no one joined so the military regime moved it till this last Saturday.
Despite State Administration Councile (SAC)’s efforts to paint the National Unity Government (NUG) and Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) as the “terrorist organizations”, several international organizations and countries across the world continued to recognize NUG representatives. With the recent news of European, French and Japanese parliaments recognizing NUG and CRPH, Min Aung Hlaing’s administration has taken a step further to condemn foreign ministries, UN agencies and countries which continue to acknowledge the actual Myanmar administration with elected parliamentary representatives. According to the announcement from the junta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Administration Council is urging the international community not to contact or be affiliated with the “terrorist organizations” or not to listen to terrorist and extremist propaganda from NUG and CRPH. Does Min Aung Hlaing and his administration even know that the only terrorist organization in Myanmar is his administration?
