193Attacks on the junta troops continue, especially in Sagaing, Magway and Karenni regions. Khit Thit media reported today that in Sagaing’s Pinlebu township, a coordinated attack of PDF-Pinlebu on the township police station and the military station on the early morning of January 18 resulted in the deaths of more than 20 soldiers. Two PDF members paid their lives in the attack. In Sagaing’s Ye-U Township, junta’s forces were attacked with detonated mines which led to an unknown number of casualties of the junta’s troop members. In Demoso township, Karenni State, a 10-hour-long battle took place between the junta’s forces and Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) after the junta’s forces intruded into the villages with excessive force. The junta’s forces lost a significant number of soldiers in the battle, which they responded by burning down at least nine civilians’ houses.
Again in Sagaing’s Ayadaw Township, two military vehicles were again detonated, killing a member of Pyusawhtee. These attacks were carried out by Ye-U PDF around 5am in the morning. Many villagers nearby are now on the run due to random shootings of the soldiers including setting two civilian houses ablaze. In Sagaing’s Taze Township, a military convoy was attacked with detonated mines on Kanhtooma Road by the local PDF. Junta’s troops responded by firing random shots to passersby. The number of casualties is still unknown. Yesterday, Kani-PDF’s attacks on the junta’s vessels traveling up the Chindwin River to supply food to the troops resulted in the deaths of three military commanders and five infantry soldiers.
Escalating clashes in the areas that are actively fighting the junta continue to meet with violent retaliation from the junta’s forces. According to Khit Thit media, the junta’s soldiers have been raiding and destroying the villages in Yaylekyun of Yesagyo Township, Magway region, since January 20, and a 65-year-old villager U Sein Wine was tortured and killed. After raiding the houses in three villages in Yaylekyun, they took precious properties of the people and killed the livestock. In Sagaing Region’s Kani Township, junta’s soldiers traveled along the Chindwin River, and burnt down 11 houses of civilians in the village they arrived, east of Muhtaw. They also shot a person with disability to death in the village. In another township in Sagaing called Ye-U, civilians from three villages have been on the run due to heavy artillery attacks from the junta’s soldiers even without having clashes with the local PDF in the area.
According to Mizzima News, in the Deep South, in Palaw township of Myeik district, Tanninthayi Region, a pregnant woman and a six-year-old were killed after stepping on the Landmine planted by the junta’s soldiers for the PDF-Palaw. In the northeast Myanmar, displaced people have been facing food shortage and safe places as the war has dragged on for months in the Shan-North. Similar distress has been faced by the displaced people of Lay Kay Kaw, Karen State. They are also facing difficulties going home, and being trapped by the junta’s forces due to reinforcement of troops in the area. In Kawkareik Township, Karen State, more than 20,000 people have been displaced, and junta’s aerial attacks killed one civilian and injured 12 people between January 7 and January 23, BBC Burmese reported.
BBC Burmese reported a response of U Kyaw Htwe, central executive committee member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) to the murderer-in-chief’s statement that NLD had tried to compromise with him in order to change the article 59(f) in the military-drafted 2008 constitution. However, U Kyaw Htwe said it was, in fact, Min Aung Hlaing who made several attempts asking the NLD to compromise his presidential ambitions as well as to extend his chief position beyond a mandatory retirement age in exchange of amending the controversial article, 59 (f). Even before him audaciously publicizing this, many had already analyzed the motives behind the coup were his presidential ambitions and his commander-in-chief position that will enrich him and his supporters.
In the latest news, it is reported that the junta is again launching aerial attacks in Loikaw, Karenni State. Under the military rule, Myanmar people suffer not only from the violence and wars, but also other coup-induced dire political, economic, and social disruptions. More and more distressing news comes from people who are looking for economic opportunities in the neighboring country, Thailand. Mizzima reported that more than 100 Burmese were arrested today and many were already sent back to Myanmar after they tried to enter the kingdom illegally in often very dangerous conditions.
On the international front, activists in Myanmar are calling for Sri Lanka to put a stop to the invitation to the chief of the State Administration Council to attend the 5th BIMSTEC (Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit that will take place in March, 2022 in Sri Lanka. Murderer-in-chief is not the leader of this country. Pro-democracy activists are also calling for sanctions against MOGE, junta’s oil and gas enterprise that has been funding junta’s crimes against humanity. As usual, anti-coup protests are still taking place in various parts of the country. In the town of Kalay, protesters marched to the streets for the 351st consecutive day.
