Mawlamyine, February (4)
Regarding to the burning of local homes during the conflict near Kyondoe in Karen State, the New Mon State Party’s statement is thought to have split the Mon people at the will of the dictators and that this prolongs the military dictatorship, according to the report by Kawtoolei Army’s Battalion Commamdo’s Strategic Column on February 3.
In the villages of Kannni, Angalon, Nyaungyeik, and Kawkyait near Kyondoe, fighting broke out between the military council and the joint revolutionary forces from January 20 to 26. The regime troops reportedly fired more than 200 rounds at the public buildings in the villages, destroying homes and religious structures.
According to the NMSP, revolutionary forces began torching homes near Kyondoe and fire spread to nearby residences, while fighting between the two sides destroyed homes.
The Kawtoolei Army’s Battalion Commamdo expressed its dissatisfaction with the statement of the New Mon Party.
The Battalion Commamdo claimed that during the revolution against the military council, the NMSP ignored the attitude of the Mon people and made statements of racial hatred for their own interests, which prolonged the dictatorship.
In addition, the Lion Battalion Commamdo’s Strategic Column said that the New Mon State Party didn’t hold itself accountable to its statement, and the contents of the statement are not accurate and can only be regarded as what caused discourse among the Mon people by the will of the dictators.
Than Lwin Times tried to reach out to the NMSP official for comment on the Lion Battalion Commando’s statement at least five times, but there was no response.
In the village of Kanni, the military council forces set fire to five homes from January 23 to January 25.
The military council blamed the PDF’s actions for fire that started in Nyaung Yeik Thar village at 11:00 am on January 26. The Lion Battalion Commamdo’s Strategic Column clarified that the joint PDF force left the area of conflict at 9:49 am and that the army shot heavy weapons into the village every day from January 26 to 29.
News-Than Lwin Times