Karen People’s Union (KNU) rebels participated in anti-coup protestsAFP news agency reported that 10 major ethnic minority armed groups in Myanmar condemned military violence and expressed their intention to work with the public.
According to a news report on the 4th, the leaders of these minority armed groups held a video conference the day before and criticized the suppression of armed forces, including the use of live ammunition by the military and police against the protesters.
“Military leaders should be held accountable (for bloody suppression),” said General Yot Shun of the Shan People’s Restoration Council (RCSS), the news agency said.
These 10 ethnic minority rebel groups, including the Karen People’s Union (KNU) and RCSS, have signed armistice agreements with the Tesein government (8) and the Aungsan Suu Kyi Civilian Government (2) respectively.
However, they expressed their position against the military regime and supporting the civil disobedience movement 20 days after the outbreak of the coup.
General Yot Shun said that the ten minority rebels, the parties to the armistice agreement, will review the armistice agreement signed by the previous government, the news agency said.
He emphasized, “I want to say that (10 ethnic minority rebel groups) firmly support the people who demand an end to dictatorship.”
This position seems to be in response to the outward declaration that the democratic camp would abolish the military constitution in 2008 and establish a’national unified government’ with the Federal Democratic Alliance as a link as of the 1st.
At the time, the democratic camp said it would establish a unified government in solidarity with militants of minority ethnic groups, but it did not say which group would participate.
Along with this, it is interpreted as a clear rejection of the military’s unilateral declaration of a month-long ceasefire against militants from ethnic minorities last week.
The military declared a ceasefire with minority rebels at the time, but made it clear that the anti-coup protesters would continue to crack down on the anti-coup protesters as an exception to the act of damaging security and administration.
In this regard, General Yot Shun refuted that the cease-fire would require an end to violent acts against protesters.
Karen hiding in jungle damaged by Myanmar air strikeMeanwhile, after the coup, KNU, which has consistently clashed with the Myanmar military in the southeastern Karen province, criticized the military’s air raids on this day as well.
In a statement, KNU criticized, “The Myanmar army continued to bombard and raid excessively on the 27th and 30th of last month.”
He added, “More than 12,000 residents had to leave their homes and evacuate due to the air raid.”
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