Myanmar’s Junta Recaptures Town That Was a Significant Gain for Rebels

Asia Pacific|Myanmar’s Junta Recaptures Town That Was a Significant Gain for Rebels

The Myanmar junta has recaptured the municipality of Myawaddy, an important trading hub connected the borderline with Thailand, reversing a cardinal triumph for absorption soldiers who seized it astir 2 weeks agone past were forced to withdraw, a spokesperson for the rebel Karen National Union said connected Wednesday.

The seizure of Myawaddy by junta troops followed the defection of a well-armed section militia known arsenic the Border Guard Force, which had concisely switched sides and joined taste Karen rebels and allied pro-democracy forces in taking the municipality connected April 11.

After rejoining forces with the junta, the militia connected Tuesday helped to escaped trapped authorities soldiers and retake their battalion’s basal connected the borderline of town, wherever they raised Myanmar’s nationalist flag, said Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the spokesperson for the Karen National Union, a governmental enactment body.

“In airy of this captious concern and to debar falling into the enemy’s trap, we indispensable temporarily retreat our Karen National Liberation Army associated forces from Myawaddy,” Mr. Saw Taw Nee said successful an interview.

The seizure of the municipality by absorption forces had been the rebels’ astir important triumph to day arsenic a wide confederation of equipped taste groups and pro-democracy fighters person fought to oust the elder generals who seized powerfulness successful a coup successful 2021.

In caller months, resistance forces person seized dozens of towns and subject outposts successful the Myanmar’s borderline regions.

But Myawaddy, crossed the Moei River from the Thai municipality of Mae Sot, was an particularly large prize, fixed its relation arsenic a hub for imports and exports, with $1 cardinal successful commercialized past year.

The authorities sought to regain Myawaddy by sending a convoy with reinforcements from service bases little than 3 hours away.

But faced with predominant ambushes and assaults by guerrilla fighters on the highway, the convoy inactive had not reached Myawaddy 12 days later, Mr. Saw Taw Nee said.

He said that rebel troops withdrawn from Myawaddy would articulation the conflict against junta forces on the highway.

The regime’s spokesman, Gen. Zaw Min Tun, did not respond to repeated calls from The New York Times.

While the absorption held Myawaddy, the service bombed civilian targets successful the municipality including roads and a autobus station, sidesplitting astatine slightest 7 radical and injuring 30, said Ko Zack, the person of an ambulance team.

For decades, taste equipped groups fought for autonomy for their idiosyncratic regions. But since the coup, galore of the groups person joined forces with the purpose of ousting the junta and replacing its enactment with a national democracy.

“Our ngo extends beyond the confines of Myawaddy,” Mr. Saw Taw Nee said. “Our nonsubjective is not simply authorities alteration to regenerate the existent rulers of the country. We purpose for systemic change, transforming each corrupt systems wrong the nation.”