‘Operation 1027 is not limited to northern Shan State’ – BPLA leader Maung Saungkha

As the Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armed organisations continues its offensive against junta forces in northern Shan State, the Bamar People’s Liberation Army (BPLA)—chiefly made up of people from Myanmar’s Bamar ethnic majority—has joined them in the fight. The offensive, dubbed Operation 1027, is led by three allied organisations: the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), an ethnic Kokang armed group. Launched on October 27, it has driven junta troops out of hundreds of military bases in just over a month and forced entire battalions to surrender. Maung Saungkha, a poet and the leader of the BPLA, was among the 17 activists who founded the organisation on April 17, 2021, two months after the military seized power in a coup. In his capacity as the chief commander of the BPLA, he has said that Operation 1027 should be brought from northern Shan State to other parts of the country. The BPLA’s primary aim, he said, is to penetrate into Myanmar’s Bamar-dominated heartland, attacking and eliminating junta forces where they are strongest. The BPLA—which professes strict adherence to policies and codes of conduct including the humane treatment of prisoners of war—has also resolved to surrender all weapons to a new civilian government formed after the resistance defeats the junta and a new constitution is established. Throughout our interview, Maung Saungkha refers to the armed resistance formed since the military coup of 2021 as “the Spring Revolution” or simply “the revolution.” Notes are added in square brackets to clarify abbreviations. Myanmar Now: The BPLA has joined Operation 1027 in northern Shan State. Where are the BPLA’s main areas of operation? Maung Saungkha: The BPLA was founded within the territory of Brigade 5 of the KNU [Karen National Union, for which the Karen National Liberation Army serves as the armed wing], after we received the necessary military training and aid from the AA. We then managed to open another regional military command in northern Shan State a year later. We refer to northern Shan State as Military Region No. 203 and to Karen State as No. 107. Those are where our two regional commands are located. We have several battalions under these commands. We have already spread outside of Brigade 5’s territory to the territories of Brigade 1 and Brigade 3 in Karen State, and we are fighting alongside the Alliance’s forces in Operation 1027 in northern Shan State—that is, within the Brotherhood Alliance’s chain of command. Maung Saungkha, the leader of BPLA, inspects troops during an exercise in Karen State (Supplied) MN: There has been speculation that Operation 1027 will come to a halt within a few months. What would you like to say in response to that? MS: From my point of view, Operation 1027 is not limited to northern Shan State; that’s what I can say for sure. However, we needed a place to start, in order to have a home base of some sort, and it was northern Shan State. After we’re done with northern Shan State, we’ll extend to other areas along with the fighters for the Spring Revolution. These are the things that we, as well as the defence ministry officials of the NUG [National Unity Government] have to work hard for. While those of us in the BPLA have only had to prepare for around two years, it has been a seven- or eight-year-long endeavour for the Kokang organisation. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Brotherhood Alliance for letting us cooperate with them. MN: It has become apparent that the attacks in the south are not as strong and impactful as those in the north. What is the reason for this difference? MS: The main difference is in firepower. The south only gets a limited supply of weapons and ammunition, so we have to take breaks in between fights to regroup and acquire more ammunition. However, you could say this is not a problem in the north as they can bring as many weapons they need to the front lines. Maung Saungkha is seen at a protest in Yangon in the aftermath of the 2021 military coup (Supplied) MN: A large number of regime personnel have surrendered during Operation 1027. How are the anti-junta allied forces treating these prisoners of war? What will be the fate of those who have yet to surrender if they should decide to do so? MS: Since we started providing basic training, we have inculcated our troops with the principle never to kill a prisoner of war. They know that doing so would make them no different from the junta soldiers, which is one of their greatest fears. Therefore we have established clear procedures and policies concerning the capture and detention of prisoners of war, and we provide full medical care. From the beginning, we have instilled the idea that we are not doing this for revenge but for our dignity and integrity. All the leaders and foot soldiers know that this is the paramount ethic of a soldier that they must uphold it all times. BPLA troops raise their flag after storming a major outpost of the military junta in northern Shan State in early November. (Photo:Supplied) MN: What can we expect from the BPLA in the future? MS: We are gaining combat experience from these battles in order to be able to infiltrate the upland area and Bamar-dominated regions, protect civilians, and eliminate junta forces in those parts of the country. To do this, we still need to strengthen our organisation and work more closely with allied groups. We’ve already come a long way since last year. We were able to carry out assaults [against the military] within the territories of [the KNU’s] Brigades 1 and 3, whereas before we only had the capacity to do so in Brigade 5’s territory. We will try our best to infiltrate into the upland area, where there is a majority Bamar population. MN: What is the BPLA’s future after the junta is defeated? MS: The BPLA’s primary goal is to overthrow the military dictatorship that has taken firm root in our country. The military must be fully under the people’s control, or we will never get true democracy or true federalism, in my opinion. Maung Saungkha, left, is seen with Gen Saw Baw Kyaw Heh, the vice chief of staff of the KNLA and its former Brigade 5 commander, at the BPLA’s inauguration ceremony in Karen State in 2022 The BPLA, as an armed organisation, will surrender all our weapons to a new civilian government after the revolution is over and a new federal constitution has been established. Of course there are some questions about whether the BPLA will continue to operate as an armed group after the revolution. So I would like to emphasise that we recruited our troops for the revolution and their service will end as the revolution ends. However, it also depends on our individual members’ decisions whether or not they still want to be soldiers. It will also be up to the new civilian government to assign duties to any members of our group choosing to stay on as soldiers. In other words, some of our troops may make this choice, but the BPLA, as an organisation, will certainly be dissolved after the revolution.

‘Operation 1027 is not limited to northern Shan State’ – BPLA leader Maung Saungkha

Maung Saungkha, the leader of a mostly Bamar armed group fighting alongside the Brotherhood Alliance, hopes to extend the sweeping anti-junta offensive into Myanmar’s heartland

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