Thursday, March 24, 2005
The Karenni Army's last stand
I bet you haven't hear of this.
Jax
One of Asia's longest-running conflicts and one of its least well known may be drawing to a close. On January 6 Myanmar's military junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC, launched an all-out attack on Nya Moe, theremote hill-top base that is the last remaining stronghold of the Karenni Army (KA). This is not the first time the base, which lies on the border between Myanmar's Karenni state and Thailand, has come under attack. After all, the Karenni leadership, backed by the KA, has been fighting the military-controlled government in Yangon for almost 50 years. However, this is the most sustained campaign Karenni leaders have seen.
The pounding of artillery fire that began in January has alarmed Karenni refugees, housed in camps just across the border. Says one camp resident, Naw Seh: "When we first heard the guns every day, I was very afraid. I could not sleep well at night." After nearly three months, she is getting used to it, but the fear and uncertainty remain. She, like others interviewed for this article, asked that their real names not be used, for fear of reprisal from military authorities.
According to a senior KA commander, General Aung Htay, the buildup of SPDC troops close to Nya Moe began in mid-December. Four SPDC battalions (totaling about 650 troops) were brought into position. Crucially, they were combined with some 700 troops from the Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF), an armed group that split many years ago from the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP). A recently constructed road through the remote hills of Karenni state has enabled the SPDC and its allies to bring in heavy artillery. With the new troops in place, the attack on Nya Moe was launched. According to Aung Htay, the fighting has been intense, with artillery attacks almost daily and a total of more than 60 clashes. Heavy shelling briefly disrupted humanitarian aid work in the area in January.
Many people are aware of the struggles to bring democracy to Myanmar led by the National League for Democracy and its charismatic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. However, few outsiders are familiar with the ongoing struggles of Myanmar's ethnic groups, such as the Karenni.
Karenni state, the smallest of Myanmar's states, is home to a complex mix of ethnic groups dominated by the Kayah majority. Fiercely independent, the lands controlled by Karenni traditional leaders were never fully incorporated into the borders of colonial Myanmar. When Myanmar, known then as Burma, achieved independence from Britain in 1948, the degree of autonomy to be granted to ethnic groups was still a highly contentious issue. Ethnic political groups were included within the new country's borders in the constitution drawn up in 1947 but were given the right of secession within 10 years. Unhappy with what they regarded as domination by the central government in Yangon, a number of military groups were quickly formed around the country, many going underground. In Karenni state, in 1957, pro-independence groups already active in the area formed a new political organization, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), backed by its own army, the KA. Apart from a brief ceasefire in 1995, the KA has been fighting ever since against successive military regimes in Yangon. (More)
Jax
One of Asia's longest-running conflicts and one of its least well known may be drawing to a close. On January 6 Myanmar's military junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC, launched an all-out attack on Nya Moe, theremote hill-top base that is the last remaining stronghold of the Karenni Army (KA). This is not the first time the base, which lies on the border between Myanmar's Karenni state and Thailand, has come under attack. After all, the Karenni leadership, backed by the KA, has been fighting the military-controlled government in Yangon for almost 50 years. However, this is the most sustained campaign Karenni leaders have seen.
The pounding of artillery fire that began in January has alarmed Karenni refugees, housed in camps just across the border. Says one camp resident, Naw Seh: "When we first heard the guns every day, I was very afraid. I could not sleep well at night." After nearly three months, she is getting used to it, but the fear and uncertainty remain. She, like others interviewed for this article, asked that their real names not be used, for fear of reprisal from military authorities.
According to a senior KA commander, General Aung Htay, the buildup of SPDC troops close to Nya Moe began in mid-December. Four SPDC battalions (totaling about 650 troops) were brought into position. Crucially, they were combined with some 700 troops from the Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF), an armed group that split many years ago from the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP). A recently constructed road through the remote hills of Karenni state has enabled the SPDC and its allies to bring in heavy artillery. With the new troops in place, the attack on Nya Moe was launched. According to Aung Htay, the fighting has been intense, with artillery attacks almost daily and a total of more than 60 clashes. Heavy shelling briefly disrupted humanitarian aid work in the area in January.
Many people are aware of the struggles to bring democracy to Myanmar led by the National League for Democracy and its charismatic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. However, few outsiders are familiar with the ongoing struggles of Myanmar's ethnic groups, such as the Karenni.
Karenni state, the smallest of Myanmar's states, is home to a complex mix of ethnic groups dominated by the Kayah majority. Fiercely independent, the lands controlled by Karenni traditional leaders were never fully incorporated into the borders of colonial Myanmar. When Myanmar, known then as Burma, achieved independence from Britain in 1948, the degree of autonomy to be granted to ethnic groups was still a highly contentious issue. Ethnic political groups were included within the new country's borders in the constitution drawn up in 1947 but were given the right of secession within 10 years. Unhappy with what they regarded as domination by the central government in Yangon, a number of military groups were quickly formed around the country, many going underground. In Karenni state, in 1957, pro-independence groups already active in the area formed a new political organization, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), backed by its own army, the KA. Apart from a brief ceasefire in 1995, the KA has been fighting ever since against successive military regimes in Yangon. (More)
