Urging The West To Provide Weapons To Fight Military Regime, Myanmar's Shadow Government: End Revolution Faster

Illustration of anti-coup protesters clashing with Myanmar military regime forces. (Wikimedia Commons/Maung Sun)

JAKARTA - The defense chief of Myanmar's shadow government has asked for international help to arm its resistance forces against the ruling military, seeking support similar to that given to Ukraine in the face of a Russian invasion.

The Ukrainians and Myanmar's pro-democracy militias are all fighting for freedom and giving their lives, but those who take on Myanmar's well-equipped soldiers need more than international solidarity, said Yee Mon, defense minister of the Government of National Unity (NUG).

"The attitude of the international community for Myanmar is a moral support for us and we are grateful for that. We will be much more appreciative if we get physical support such as weapons and funds," he said in handwritten remarks given to I, as quoted May 18.

"With that support, we will be able to end the revolution more quickly, minimizing the loss of people and their property."

The Western allies have been arming fighters in Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion, which Moscow calls "special operations". Meanwhile, Myanmar has been in turmoil since a coup early last year, with the United Nations saying more than 560.000 people have been displaced by the fighting.

The NUG, an alliance of anti-junta groups, declared a "people's defensive war" in the countryside last year to stifle the military's efforts to consolidate power, after a months-long deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The Myanmar military regime led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has declared the NUG a "terrorist".

The militias are mostly lightly armed, using rudimentary rifles and homemade explosives against the well-equipped military, which the United Nations has accused of using heavy weapons and air strikes against the civilian population.

A junta spokesman did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

Separately, the European Union Delegation in Yangon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Yee Mon's call.

Meanwhile, a State Department spokesman said in an email, the United States continues to pressure the junta to end the violence and work with partners to restore the country's path to democracy, but does not provide weapons or any form of military support to groups, individuals, or organizations.

In the matter of the Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to unify the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continued to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.