Myanmar anti-junta fighters retreat from Mindat town after US, UK sound alarm

After Britain and the United States sounded alarm on Mindat’s unrest, fighters of a local militia opposed to Myanmar’s junta pulled back from the northwestern town. Myanmar has been in an uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb 1 coup, triggering a massive uprising that authorities have sought to quell with lethal force. Amid the military’s violence, several people have formed an anti-junta movement and set up local militias armed with home and made weapons to protect their towns from security forces. 

According to BBC, the town of Mindat has emerged as a hotspot for unrest, which some residents have formed the Chinland Defence Force (CDF). While the Myanmar military has attacked the town with artillery, CDF fighters, on the other hand, have set fire to several army trucks, destroying them and ambushed reinforcement troops. However, after US and UK embassies called for security forces to cease violence, the CDF on May 16 retreated into the jungles in a bid to spare the town further bombardment. 

The media outlet informed that the Myanmar army now appears to control Mindat. The rebels said that six of their fighter had died. Some of the population of Mindat is also believed to have fled into surrounding forests. Others, however, remain trapped in the town. 

Meanwhile, the US and UK have condemned the violence. In a Twitter statement on Saturday, the US embassy said that the military’s use of weapons against the civilians is a “further demonstration” of the depths the regime will sink to hold onto power. The British embassy also said that attacks on civilians are “illegal” and cannot be justified. 

Aftermath of Myanmar military coup 

Meanwhile, Myanmar's military has justified the February takeover by alleging there had been widespread fraud during a general election late last year which had returned elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party (NLD) to power. The coup d'état occurred a day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in elected members from the 2020 election. To hinder the ceremony, President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, with ministers and Members of Parliament. 

Over the past month, the military leadership has issued more than 1500 arrest warrants against civil society activists, trade unionists, journalists, academics, public personalities and online voices, forcing the vast majority of them underground. The lethal force by the military has also triggered protests. At least 790 people have been killed as security forces used unnecessary, disproportionate and lethal force, to suppress demonstrations and other forms of public participation, , UN News reported.