Resistance forces dismiss junta’s surrender claims as ‘propaganda’

Claims by Myanmar’s military that dozens of resistance forces surrendered in northern Shan State last week are nothing more than junta propaganda, according to anti-regime group officials. In a statement released on Tuesday, the junta claimed that 60 members of three armed groups opposed to its rule had surrendered on July 17, bringing 13 weapons with them. According to the statement, 41 members of the Danu People’s Liberation Army (DPLA), 15 members of the Mandalay Region People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF), and four members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) surrendered. “There was no surrender, so there’s nothing to explain. Though they said our troops surrendered, you don’t see any faces, and no names are given,” a DPLA information officer told Myanmar Now. He added that the DPLA is not currently engaged in clashes with regime forces, and said that the group’s military and political objectives would not be impacted by the junta’s misinformation. The DPLA has participated in anti-regime offensives in northern Shan State’s Hsipaw, Nawnghkio, and Kyaukme townships since it was formed with TNLA assistance in August 2022. Osmond, the information officer for the MDY-PDF, which operates under the publicly mandated National Unity Government, also told Myanmar Now that the announcement claiming that 15 of their troops had surrendered was inaccurate. “It’s just propaganda,” he said. TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting. Myanmar’s military routinely disseminates false information about its opponents, both through state-media outlets and pro-regime social media accounts. During Operation 1027, a major anti-junta offensive launched in October 2023, huge numbers of regime troops surrendered to ethnic armed groups and their allies across northern Shan State and other areas. In recent months, however, the regime has managed to regain control of some towns that it lost during the offensive, including Lashio, which was handed back to the junta in April. On Tuesday, the military also retook the gold-mining of Thabeikkyin in northern Mandalay Region, which was captured by the MDY-PDF nearly a year ago.

Resistance forces dismiss junta’s surrender claims as ‘propaganda’

Myanmar’s military routinely disseminates false information about its opponents, both through state-media outlets and pro-regime social media accounts

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