RandAlThor

@RandAlThor@lemmy.ca

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RandAlThor OP ,

What this poorly written article doesn't say clearly is that these are Burmese REFUGEES who have ran from the war-mongering military junta to India. India does not recognize refugees and have jailed them.

RandAlThor OP Mod ,

This news come a few days after the article on fracturing. This is a reality we all must be aware of. Despite everyone being unified in their opposition to MAL's junta, we are not united. Even within the same ethnic group.

RandAlThor OP , (edited )

I found this part interesting: ""We were unprepared for that kind of response," Philippine navy spokesperson Roy Trinidad said in a phone interview on Thursday. "We stuck with the rules of engagement. They were not allowed to use guns except for self defence.""

So China created the conditions for this kind of confrontation by including non-use of guns in confrontations, similar to its border with India. And then proceeds to create this aggression with swords and spears. Philippines was too naive. China is escalating tensions there, taking things to the edge of sparking a hot war without having one.

RandAlThor OP ,

yes thank you for that.

RandAlThor ,

Here are some pics of Chinese boarding Philippine vessels with axes swords and pointed weapons: (https://x.com/TeamAFP/status/1803423024449986581).

This kind of tactic is reminiscent of the Chinese style of combat on the border with India.

RandAlThor ,

Happy cake day!

RandAlThor ,

SMH. Is it any surprise how they got to be rich?

RandAlThor OP Mod ,

I don't agree with this author's position, but this is a point we need to discuss. Fragmentation is a real danger. It has happened in Burma's history over hundreds of years. It can happen again. I disagree with the author that the fragmentation narrative supports the Junta.

Fragmentation is real. There are more than a dozen Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and private armies in Burma. All have different agendas. We have seen that there are clashes even within alliances. 3 Brothers Alliance is not allied with NUG. EAOs like the United Wa State Army are content with the status quo of having their own independent defacto state, being China's defacto colony but with political autonomy. (The Kokangs are currently moving in that direction after re-taking the region recently with the participation in 3 Brother Alliance offensive). Bringing all the disparate forces together to form a federal government will be difficult. But isn't that what a federal government is - a union with each state having a certain autonomy?

It really depends on the true goal of EAOs' leadership. Are the EAOs interested in participating in a federal government, or are they seeking political autonomy within a state like what the Wa enjoys, or complete independence?

RandAlThor OP Mod ,

The author loosely played with the historical facts here.

Quote:

"Let’s start with the origins of Myanmar Army. The ethnic composition of the army at independence in 1948 was reflected in its battalions: Burma Rifles, Karen Rifles, Kachin Rifles, Chin Rifles, and Burma Regiment (Gurkhas). These were later grouped into two wings – a first wing composed mainly of ethnic Burmese led by General Ne Win, and a second composed of ethnic minorities (ie, Chin, Kachin, Karen), according to political scientist Zaw Thein. Gradually, General Ne Win purged the ethnic minority leaders when he “restructured” the army. By the time of the 1962 coup, ethnic minorities had gone underground – making way for ethnic Bamar to take over the entire military institution."

At the time of the independence, the Burmese guerilla revolutionary army that was formed in Thailand and the British-trained ethnic armed forces from colonial Burma were merged into a single combined armed forces. Remember that they were FOES not long ago. And almost from the outset after independence, the ethnic divisions revolted. Some of the "Burman" guerillas also revolted into various left-wing communist armed guerillas fighting the newly independent country. By 1962 when Ne Win took over in a coup, the country had long been waging a heated civil war for more than 10 years where Rangoon almost fell to Karen guerillas who were the former Karen Rifles.

There were few Burmans in British colonial police and armed forces. It was mostly comprised of minority ethnic groups as the British did not trust the Burmese but favored the christian ethnic minorities.

RandAlThor ,

The interesting is that it was Pentagon and not CIA or NSA.

RandAlThor OP Mod ,

The gifts come at a time when Junta has lost most of Arakan state to AA, and are defending a toehold on the state at the Chinese-owned deep-sea harbour project and state capital Sittwe.

RandAlThor OP Mod ,

You know China's backing AA (Arakan Army) right? AA is part of the Brotherhood Alliance that got China's blessing to go on offensive October last year and captured all kinds of towns in North and Eastern Burma. Then China said enough fighting and they stopped fighting in Northeast but AA shifted to Arakan and have captured most of Arakan state and some parts of Chin State. And China has a STRATEGIC investment in Arakan State - a deep sea port they have been working on for a very long time, that will be China's short-cut to markets in India Europe and Africa without having to use the longer route, much congested and more expensive China's east coast ports. So Chinese are giving AA the arms to fight the Junta, and now they are giving boats to Junta to fight AA from sea. LMAO. They are twisted man.

RandAlThor OP Mod ,

Notable that Brotherhood Alliance is NOT aligned with NUG.

Myanmar Junta Forcing Villagers Into Sittwe as ‘Human Shields’ for City ( www.irrawaddy.com )

Myanmar’s junta plans to use residents expelled from around a dozen villages as human shields to defend the Rakhine State capital Sittwe, which the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) has surrounded and is poised to seize, local residents said.

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