Return of the ‘four cuts’ in Myanmar’s Mon state

Joint forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA ) and the People’s Defense Forces ( PDFs ) are shifting the power dynamic as the military battles for dominance in southeast Myanmar.

Growing military resignations and a stronger armed opposition existence along the nation’s borders are the results of popular antagonism to the Myanmar Army warfare and attempted power grab. The attacks keep getting worse as the Myanmar junta quickly loses floor and momentum.

As a result, the dictatorship is growing more anxious and eager, and in response, it has retaliated against civilians using the same strategies it always has. Junta soldiers are employing their infamous “four-cut strategy” in areas of the nation that have not been directly targeted in prior military operations, generally Mon state, in addition to scorched-earth campaigns, extrajudicial killings, and flying and ground attacks. &nbsp,

When the Myanmar Army began fighting the Communist Party and the Karen National Union (KNU) in the 1960s, the four-cut strategy was developed in Karen position with the goal of cutting off food sources, funding, knowledge, and volunteers. Since then, it has been used numerous times in defense businesses, most notably in Rakhine state in 2017.

As one of the many resources used to intimidate communities supporting the weight activity, it is currently being used forcibly in Mon state. &nbsp,

In Mon position, the military has targeted displaced people attempting to produce corn from their villages, shelled displacement camps and religious sites, and is also cutting off food and water resources to those affected by conflict. Food companies and medical aid products have been purposefully destroyed.

Breaches were noted

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland ( HURFOM), which was established by exiled pro-democracy students from the 1988 uprisings, current activists, Mon community leaders, and young people, records the violations of human rights in Mon state, Karen state and the Tanintharyi region.

The State Peace and Development Council ( SPDC ), then led by General Than Shwe, used the four-cut campaign to put an end to armed insurgents in southeast Myanmar from 1995 to 2010 in Yebyu and southern Ye Townships. Villagers were subjected to routine travel restrictions and security it.

When there were reports of rebel action, they were put on nighttime or 24-hour curfews. It was necessary to immediately relocate entire villages and communities.

Mon position was no longer the junta’s goal after 2010. Yet, fighting persisted in nearby regions like Karen state and the Tanintharyi area. &nbsp,

After the defense takeover, airstrikes have already had the biggest impact in Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon position. &nbsp: Since the second month of November, Brigade 6’s Kyaikmayaw, Kyannseikyi, and Kawkareek sections have been the focus of joint military operations between the P.D.F. and the Karen Armed Forces.

Many of the junta’s foundations have been lost in these places. Since then, the military has intensified its attacks by using aerial and floor airstrikes to target civilians, forcing them to flee. As a result, almost 30 000 inhabitants have been forced to leave. &nbsp,

The army is waging a “four-cut plan” against us. A Kyaikmayaw Township native and former New Mon State Party ( NMSP) member told HURFOM that this is a frightening fact.

” During the businesses, they are oppressing and killing people.” They halted the flow of information so that local districts may be unaware of the military operations and alleged violations of human rights.

HURFOM noted a significant rise in the fight between the defense junta and the innovative forces during the final three weeks of November.

According to our reports, the regime’s Southeast Command, based in Mawlamyine, forced an extra 3,500–5,000 citizens from four settlements close to Chaung Hna Kwa village in Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon condition, to flee in the third month of November as a result of artillery and aerial problems.

Communications halted

Additionally, the Myanmar Army is routinely cutting off Wi-Fi and wireless Internet ranges throughout the region. &nbsp,

The regime’s four-cut plan includes this deliberate cut off of the flow of information. Displaced communities rely on local networks to provide them with shelter, food, shelter, and treatments because they have few to no options for where to go safely. &nbsp,

Since November 17, between 40 and 50 settlements in Mon status have oddly turned into ghost towns because they have been entirely abandoned. Additionally, at least 30 settlements in Kyaikmayaw have been cut off from phone, Internet, and native security information. Residents are extremely anxious as a result of the shattered communications. &nbsp,

It’s a means of preventing data from entering. The military used this tactic for many years in Ye Township, so our parents and grandparents, who had to deal with this kind of oppression in the past, are very familiar with it, according to the same tenant of Kyaikmayaw Township.

They are currently using it once more in Mon State. To the best of their ability, a terrible technique is being used.

Kyaikmayaw Township residents are still dealing with significant obstacles and dangers to their well-being nearly three years after the revolution.

The citizens in Kyainnseikyi Township and Kaw Ka Rate Townships are directly impacted by armed conflict. A 50-year-old peasant from Kyun village in the Kyaikmayaw township told HURFOM that it is extremely dangerous that we are not informed of the situation. I have no idea what may occur or how to get ready for the worst.

The coup and the armed opposition are escalating their hostilities, and it is expected that the violence will get worse. Two children, ages 7 and 8, were killed by a hostile artillery blast in Paw Law Gone town in Kyaikmayaw Township at around noon on November 12.

The enhanced fighting has trapped many villages. Residents of Mae Hta Ro, Taung Kalay, Kanar Lo, and Kyan Taw, as well as at least 10 other villages, are unable to leave because the regime has blocked access to safe have ns, according to Chaung Hna Khwa village’s closed roads.

The numerous requires of citizens on the ground who are looking for immediate safety are being met by relief organizations. Areas under KNU control that are close to the Thai side of the border are the safest locations for Mon residents who have been affected by conflict. However, the needs of the general public are greater than the resources at hand, particularly for service providers with tight cash.

Although territorial problems may include caused conflict between the Mon and Karen in the past, there is now a growing sense of solidarity between them, specifically as it becomes clear that this is more important than ever. &nbsp,

It is becoming increasingly obvious that traditional ethnic divisions are unimportant in occasions like these. Currently, between 32 000 and 35 000 Mon refugees are escaping into Kyainnseikyi Township areas under the control of the KNU and the New Mon State Party ( NMSP). Since their peace with the coup in 1995, the KNU Brigade 6 and NMSP have jointly controlled some areas of this town.

The coup is heavily reliant on nations providing weapons, jet fuel, military hardware, and technology to support its battle against the people as the fight intensifies. World leaders had support Myanmar’s citizens. To prevent the junta from weaponizing support by seizing goods and blocking transportation routes, all aid must pass through regional cross-border channels.

A global arms embargo and restrictions on aircraft gas must also be prioritized in order to protect citizens ‘ safety and security.

Myanmar’s citizens are standing side by side. It’s high day the rest of the world joined them.