Mawlamyine, 28 December
The Karen National Union (KNU) said that it will continue to fight for the fall of the military dictatorship as it has lost trust in junta chief’s assertion despite his offer for peace.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing made the peace speech at the Thanksgiving ceremony for Christmas Eve held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Pyinmana, Nay Pyi Taw on December 24.
He reaffirmed that he always opens doors for peace, that the army is always ready for peace, and that he invites and welcomes peace talks.
KNU spokesperson Pado Saw Taw Nee said, “The junta chief’s words of peace are contrary to actual actions, and currently, the military dictators and the army are committing atrocities against the people, especially by firing heavy weapons and carrying out aerial bombings.”
At that ceremony, the military leader urged everyone to make an all-out effort to achieve the stability, security, and peace that the country needs as soon as possible starting on the special day of Christmas, and to ensure that all religions and citizens have the right to live in peaceful coexistence.
Pado Saw Taw Nee said that the KNU has lost faith in the military leader’s call for peace and that the KNU is trying to end the military dictatorship and achieve federal democracy and self-determination.
On the one hand, the junta chief constantly calls for peace, but the military council is carrying out targeted attacks on civilians across the country.
According to the data of the Nyan Lin Thit Research Group, the military council committed at least 175 massacres of five or more people from February 2021 to August 2023, in which a total of 1,794 civilians were killed.
Moreover, the military council carried out 902 airstrikes in the same period, destroying 26 hospitals, 54 schools, and 86 religious buildings. Nearly 460 individuals were hurt, and almost 680 civilians lost their lives.
Since the coup, more than 10,000 clashes erupted in the territory controlled by the KNU, a veteran ethnic armed organization that has been fighting against the military regime, reported the KNU on early November.
News-Than Lwin Times
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