Myanmar military demands troop lists from Karen armed groups in Myawaddy

Myanmar’s military has demanded troop lists from two ethnic Karen armed groups last week in the border town of Myawaddy after announcing plans to carry out airstrikes in the area, the groups told Myanmar Now. The Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council (KPC) said they submitted their troop rosters following a January 19 meeting with the commander of the junta’s Light Infantry Division 22, who demanded the names, photographs and station locations of their fighters in Myawaddy by a January 24 deadline.The KPC, despite its name, is neither part of nor affiliated with its former parent organisation, the Karen National Union (KNU), nor the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). A letter detailing the meeting has circulated on Facebook, and the DKBA and KPC confirmed its contents were accurate. The document said the junta claimed it sought the troop lists to act against imposters posing as DKBA and KPC members and stated that it does not recognise the Karen National Army, formerly the Karen Border Guard Force led by Colonel Saw Chit Thu, barring the group from operating in Myawaddy. Sources said the letter also called on the DKBA and KPC to cooperate with junta security efforts in Myawaddy and warned that airstrikes had been designated on 18 locations if Junta Infantry Battalion 275 is attacked again.The DKBA said it provided only general information, not full military details, DKBA spokesperson Colonel Saw Ta Bleh told Myanmar Now."We cannot give all military operational information,” he said. “Detailed information cannot be provided at this time.” Colonel Saw Kyaw Nyunt, the KPC spokesperson, told Myanmar Now that rosters of troops based in Myawaddy have been submitted to the junta. “They said the request was meant to prevent misunderstandings between armed groups in Myawaddy,” he said. “I understand that troop rosters were submitted.” But neither the DKBA nor KPC disclosed the extent of soldier information provided to the junta. Sources from the two Karen armed groups have corroborated that the two groups have agreed to cooperate with the junta. "There are also incidents involving civilians; theft, murder, knife attacks, rape,” Saw Ta Bleh said. “So this cooperation on security is supposed to address these matters.” The DKBA and the KPC are widely seen as military proxies aligned with Myanmar’s junta and have long coordinated with regime forces, including through ceasefire and liaison arrangements. Although the junta stated that KNA troops transformed from BGF should not remain stationed in Myawaddy, some Myawaddy residents told Myanmar Now that KNA forces are still present in Myawaddy as of January 26.A source living in Myawaddy, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, told Myanmar Now that the majority of residents are not worried about fighting and clashes breaking out in Myawaddy at this time. “Only a few people are worried,” the source said. “Most residents are used to these situations. Markets, schools and hospitals are operating normally, and government offices remain open.”

Myanmar military demands troop lists from Karen armed groups in Myawaddy

Junta orders DKBA and KNU/KNLA-Peace Council to submit names and locations of fighters in border town after warning of possible airstrikes.

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