Phayathonezu, 25 September
Military troops are patrolling and carrying out inspections in Phayathonezu town of Karen state after Karen National Union is implementing its administrations, according to the locals.
The military council could not run its administrative and judiciary mechanisms in the Myanmar-Thai border town, and the KNU has replaced them.
The junta’s propaganda groups said their ruling is still effective in Phayathonezu with security checks and inspection of military and border guard forces.
However, the recent move is military is a counter-action against the news from KNU.
“Military troops have not gone outside their bases for months. But they conducted security checks to counter the recent news. There is no military-appointed local administrator in the town. Legal cases are being reported to KNU,” sai a local.
Joint forces of KNLA attacked the military council’s departments and police station in January and February in Phayathonezu town, and their functions have totally stopped.
Some remarked that the military troops’ recent security checks might have been resulted from the order of senior officials, and these actions would be done after negotiation with armed groups including KNU.
Armed groups in Phayathonesu town are KNU, KNLA, military council, border guard force and NCA signatories NMSP, DKBA, and KNU/KNLA PC.
Padho Saw Tar Nee, the spokesperson of KNU, said that the administrative mechanism of military council is failing in Phayathonesu, and the KNU is handling administrative and judiciary sectors at the request of public due to increasing cases of crime.
A battalion of military and a police station remain in the town, while BGF and DKBA are at the entrance checkpoints of the town, and the military council, BGF, KNLA and some other armed groups are operating at the border checkpoints between Myanmar and Thailand.
News—Than Lwin Times
Photo—Social Media