Yangon, December (22)
The military leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power with the help of weapons, has declared 2022 the year of peace, but this year will only end with military escalation amid ongoing conflict.
Military leader General Min Aung Hlaing declared 2022 as the year of peace on April 22, and said that he would personally discuss with the ethnic armed leaders to put an end to armed conflicts in the country.
The peace talks, however, excluded the National Unity Government (NUG) and the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), which are opposing the military council.
The Karen National Union (KNU)’s Spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee told Than Lwin Times that the military council is causing disagreements among the revolutionary forces and continues to do so despite knowing that its peace talks won’t yield any results.
On the other hand, the regime troops arrest and kill civilians while setting fire to homes and other structures in anti-regime strongholds.
The military council beefed up airstrikes due to increasing losses in the battles with the ethnic armed forces and PDFs.
Comrade Salai Yaw Aung of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF)’s Central Steering Committee told the Than Lwin Times that the peace that the military is talking about is still a long way off because fighting in the country is intensifying.
Since the military coup until today, the number of displaced people in the country has surpassed one million, according to a report issued on December 3 by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
The military leader said in a speech on the 7th anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on October 15 that military council will adhere to the NCA and the 2008 Constitution in carrying out the peace process.
Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt, spokesman for the seven NCA-signatories, told Than Lwin Times that this year is the starting point for a political dialogue involving all stakeholders for union peace.
Political analyst U Than Soe Naing claimed that the military council, which is committing all forms of violence, is attempting to deceive the outside world by distorting the reality of what is actually happening in the country.
The military council may intensify military operations against the revolutionary forces in the pretext of fighting terrorism in the remaining months of the extended state of emergency in order to arrange a general election, local resistance forces told Than Lwin Times.
The CDM air force officials have warned that the junta may conduct more airstrikes as the military council has officially unveiled modern fighter jets and helicopters made by Russia and China in recent days.
More than 7,800 armed clashes occurred across the country between February 1, 2021, when the military sized power, and November 15, this year, according to a report released on November 22 by ISP-Myanmar, a research group.
News-Than Lwin Times