Pattaya International Forum hosted by outgoing Thai government.
The Military Council claimed that Myanmar, was “previously peaceful for almost half a century,” had descended into a nation plagued by fierce armed conflicts as certain ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) trained and armed young individuals, converting them into fighters of the People's Defense Force (PDF).
During an informal meeting on Myanmar affairs hosted by Thailand's outgoing caretaker government in Pattaya on June 19th, Foreign Minister U Than Swe, appointed by the Military Council, made a seriou of wild allegations..
He blamed the EAOs “ for exploiting Myanmar's political instability over the past two years, manipulating economically and socially vulnerable young individuals who were grappling with hardships caused by the Covid crisis, ultimately providing them with training to join the ranks of the People's Defense Force (PDF).
In response, Salai Htet Ni, the spokesperson for the Chin National Front (CNF), refuted the Military Council's allegation that the significant rise in armed conflicts in Myanmar was solely orchestrated by certain EAOs, dismissing it as “an unsubstantiated and baseless claim.”
Naing Naga, spokesperson of Mon State Revolution Force (MSRF) declared, ““It is truly absurd to hear such irrational statements from the representative of the Military Council during an international-level conference. The global community is already well aware of the brutal and forceful oppression unleashed by the Military Council upon the peaceful young protesters following the coup.It is utterly preposterous for the Military Council to shamelessly claim that certain EAOs are instigating the youth to transform into PDF members also and providing them with weapons, resulting in domestic unrest. Such claims only add to their already staggering level of absurdity”.
During the conference, U Than Swe unabashedly asserted that the Myanmar Military boasts significant experience and formidable combat prowess, enabling them to effortlessly overcome enemy forces. However, he claimed that the regime exercised restraint in order to minimize civilian casualties.
The Chin Spokesman pointed out that “"Our nation is not at peace for a simple reason: the Myanmar Military, throughout different eras, has forcibly seized power from the people through coups, denying them their rightful authority. The coups in 1962, 1988, and the 2021 coup that ignited the Spring Revolution, are undeniable evidence that clearly supports this statement. These coups have disrupted the peace of our nation. Since the first coup in 1962, the civil war has persisted. It is widely known that the entire nation has suffered from instability and chaos caused by the actions of the Myanmar Military. Therefore, the unilateral accusations made by the Military Council, which contradict the reality, are both ridiculous and baseless”, he said.
The Military Council, which seized complete control of the governmental powers through a coup, alleging electoral fraud in the 2020 election, perpetrated acts of violence, arbitrary arrests, torture, and even the killing of peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators.
Under the military regime, fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of movement, and the right to dignity have been eroded, leading to a climate of oppression, arbitrary arrests, and torture. These conditions have pushed young individuals towards joining PDF as a response to the multitude of threats they face.
U Than Swe also said at the conference that,” the Myanmar Military is very experienced and has strong fighting skills, so it can easily defeat the enemy forces, but they are handling it with restraint to avoid many civilian casualties.”
However U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst responded," the true capability of the Myanmar Military to suppress the resistance forces can be observed by examining the events of the past two years. In the current landscape, the Junta Army’s manpower has significantly dwindled to approximately 50 percent, while PDFs, originating from scratch, have remarkably bolstered their strength to over 50 percent. Furthermore, the atrocious acts of violence committed by the Military Council are of such magnitude, that they could potentially set a world record. However they attempt to portray themselves as reluctant perpetrators of such violence, insisting it was necessitated by certain circumstances. It leads me to presume that they are misleading their international partners, attempting to downplay the domestic threat posed by the joint forces of resistance.”
According to the Ministry of Defense of the National Unity Government (NUG), the combined strength of combat troops and logistic forces of the Myanmar Military currently ranges between 220,000 and 240,000 at most.
Over the course of the past two years, armed clashes have resulted in the loss of over 29,000 lives among the Military Council and its associated armed forces, with an additional 11,000 individuals sustaining injuries. More than 13000 soldiers and police defected to the resistance forces, as they could no longer tolerate the unethical conduct of the Military Council.
In the aftermath of the coup, around 500 revolutionary teams and organizations have emerged, united in their unwavering determination to overthrow the military dictatorship as they refuse to accept it under any circumstances.
Data gathered by the Institute for Strategy and Policy - Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar), a research institute, reveals that over the course of two years following the coup, Myanmar has witnessed more than 8000 skirmishes and major battles taking place across more than 190 townships.
