JAKARTA - At least 2,000 pro-democracy fighters have been killed in Myanmar in fighting the military junta that seized power last year, a parallel civilian head of government said in an interview broadcast Thursday, expecting military assistance.
Duwa Lashi La, acting president of the Government of National Unity (NUG), comprises remnants of the government of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others, speaking at a Reuters NEXT conference from an undisclosed location in Myanmar.
"We consider (deaths) a price we have to pay," said Duwa Lashi La, a former teacher and seven-type lawyer who left his home in northern Myanmar Kachin State with his family.
The military has branded him and his colleagues terrorists and banned citizens from communicating with them, but their parallel civilian governments have broad support. The allied armed group known as the People's Defense Forces has emerged across the country.
Duwa Lashi La has been described as visiting troops, including former students and professionals who were taken into the forest by military crackdowns, wearing jackets and helmets.
"I don't know when I will give up my life," he said.
"It is up to God's will. I have committed to sacrifice anything for my country," he said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power in February last year, reversing a decade-long democratic experiment, using lethal force to crush protests.
In addition to 2,000 deaths in fighting, more than 2,500 civilians were killed elsewhere, mostly in the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a rights group monitoring the unrest.
Pro-democracy fighters are defeated by soldiers equipped with Russia, China, and India, who use fighter jets to carry out deadly bomb attacks.
Duwa Lashi La said opposition fighters had killed about 20,000 junta soldiers. It's impossible to confirm numbers independently.
"If we have anti-aircraft weapons, it's safe to say we can win in six months," he explained.
"If we receive the same support as Ukraine received from the US and the European Union, the suffering of the massacred people will soon stop," Duwa Lashi La said.
Meanwhile, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced since the coup, according to the United Nations, which said military attacks could constitute war crimes.
The Myanmar military did not respond to a request for comment by Reuters. They said they did not target civilians, with airstrikes and operations responding to attacks by "terrorists".
The Western countries have voiced support for the NUG and sanctioned commanders and military units, saying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has a convention not to interfere in their respective affairs, is the best place to deal with the crisis.
Last month, the head of Southeast Asian government issued a warning' to Myanmar to make measurable progress in the peace plan, or risk being barred from attending the bloc's meeting.
Duwa Lashi La said the doors were not closed to negotiations but the military had to stop killing civilians, vowing to step down from politics and remove the constitution that perpetuated their rule.
"Then we might have a dialogue," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
