Issues An Ultimatum, KNU Firmly Asks The Military Regime's Accomplices To Leave The Karen Territory

JAKARTA - The Karen National Union (KNU) issued a firm ultimatum, asking junta-appointed administrative staff, members of the Border Guard Force (BGF) allied with the military and their families to leave KNU-administered areas, a spokesman for the organization said.

"In order to bring down the military governance mechanisms and reduce their control over the country, we must also be wary of their collaborators," Padoh spokesman Saw Taw Nee told Myanmar Now, as quoted February 11.

He described the orders, issued by Karen authorities in Brigade 1, Thaton District, Mon State on Monday and Brigade 5 in Mutraw District (Hpapun), Karen State on January 29, in line with the policy of the KNU central committee.

Civilians in this area have also been warned by KNU not to get involved or collaborate with junta forces.

The Karen BGF responded to the military council and has carried out attacks against the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)—the armed wing of the KNU, alongside the Myanmar military regime forces.

In a KNU announcement issued at Brigade 1, family members of BGF troops were ordered to leave their headquarters in Hpa-an, Karen State. Meanwhile, the troops themselves were asked to leave the group and end their cooperation with the junta.

Likewise, the administrative staff of the military council in the state capital of Karen, were also asked to leave their posts.

Thursday was the deadline given by the KNU for the staff of several junta departments in Mutraw to leave their posts, or face the actions of Karen forces.

Citing a Brigade 5 tactical officer, the Karen KIC news agency reported that more than 100 staff members working for the military administration mechanisms in Mutraw, including the ministries of education, agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as in the justice and audit offices, had resigned from their jobs before the deadline. .

The report stated that KNU had assisted the staff with their departure.

KNU has stated that vacant positions and duties will be filled by their own ethnic governance structures that exist in 14 key departments, including defence, education and health.

"Organizations on the ground that are under our control are trying to do what they can for now," explained Padoh Saw Taw Nee of the current regional administration.

The KNU opposed last year's military coup and has been fighting the junta since then, as well as the Myanmar army at large for more than seven decades.

The organization signed a National Armistice Agreement with the military and previous government in 2015, but has since declared "it's time to say goodbye" to the agreement, due to the Myanmar military's repeated and willful abuses.

In June last year, Karen armed organizations including KNU/KNLA, Karen Buddhist Democratic Army (DKBA), KNU/KNLA Peace Council and BGF met at KNU's central command to try to prevent further conflict and division between the groups. However, the BGF chose to continue fighting on the side of the junta.

To note, KNU publicly rejected the junta's invitation to all ethnic armed organizations on Sunday to hold 'peace talks' with the military, citing a lack of confidence in the armed forces amid continued air and ground attacks in the Karen region. They also declined a similar invitation sent on January 1.

Meanwhile, KIC reports that the DKBA and KNU/KNLA-Peace Council will attend the upcoming meeting with the military. Myanmar Now could not independently verify this news.

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