No major fighting on Buddhist full moon day of TaZaungMong despite opposition forces’ claim on escalating the offensive

Yangon, 27 November 2023

All fronts in Myanmar civil war remain quiet until November 27 evening. The civil war which entered into new phase with coordinated attacks in the Chinese border region by Northern Alliance opposition forces on October 27 with “Operation 1127”. The Alliance released a statement on 25th November that they are going to escalate the regional operation into the national level on one month anniversary which coincide with the Buddhist full moon day festival of TaZaungMong.

More than 80 percent of Myanmar’s 55 million population are Buddhist and 2 out of 3 opposition forces that made up Northern Alliance brotherhood TNLA and AA are devout Buddhist while remaining one MNDAA also is made up of ethnic-Chinese Buddhist soldiers.

There is major development in 26 November evening with TNLA forces overrun a Myanmar junta infantry battalion No 79 which is guarding a border trading post with China. At the time of attack, the Chinese military is holding a live fire military exercise across the border. A Chinese Naval fleet of 3 ships with 700 sailors arrived to Yangon port on the 27th for joint-military exercise with Myanmar Navy.

According to the sources from both side of the conflict, there are 14 politically motivated assassinations of persons who are considered to be the sympathizers of Junta regime by the opposition forces in few days’ period. On 21 November, mass murder of 7 persons including a woman happened in Mandalay division Nganzun township. The alleged sympathizers of the regime were murder by armed men in a The Gone Gyi village moonshine shop while drinking. On 25 November in Bago division, one Soe Myint the local administrator from ThitYaungPyan village was shot in point black by gunmen. On 26 November total of 6 local administers in the Thayet District, Magway Division were simultaneously murdered by opposition death-squads around 7 PM in their villages. All 14 murders were claimed responsibility by the Opposition PDF death squads.

The murder of civilians who are accused of siding with either side of the conflict are common in Myanmar’s bitter civil war. But the conduct of pro-Democracy opposition forces’ murders are unreported or under reported due to most Anglophone medias are aligned with partisan politics. In the popular uprising after 2021 February coup, most of the native Myanmar speakers and bilinguals who speak foreign languages are deeply involved in partisan politics. According to Myanmar Junta’s State Media there are 6700 politically motivated murders committed by the opposition forces since 2021 February coup and the opposition media reported the murder committed by Junta as 4200 in the same period. It is not possible to independently confirm about the reports but popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram and Tiktok are flooded with images and videos of brutal murders by both sides.

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