A prominent ethnic rebel group in Myanmar this week suspended one of its key leaders, a Karen National Union (KNU) spokesman said yesterday, as the group investigates an alleged massacre of civilians on its territory.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since a February coup ousted Burmese State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, sparking protests among civilians and renewing clashes between the Burmese military and ethnic rebel armies in the country’s border regions.
The KNU — one of Myanmar’s largest rebel groups in its east, which has tussled with the military for decades — has been locked in renewed conflict with the military since the coup.
Photo: AFP
On May 31, state-run media accused fighters from one of the group’s armed wings, the Karen National Defense Organization, of a massacre of 25 construction workers — an allegation the KNU said it would investigate.
KNU spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee yesterday confirmed that its armed wing’s leader, Ner Dah Bo Mya, and one of his subordinates, Saw Ba Wah, have been “suspended temporarily.”
“According to the Geneva Conventions, even if they are our enemies, we just arrest them, you cannot kill like that,” he said. “We stand firmly on our commitment to the Geneva Conventions and the international community, and we have to deal with this carefully.”
The decision — made by KNU leaders on Monday — would likely sow discord within the rebel group, whose political divisions over the handling of the junta have over the past few months become increasingly public.
However, Padoh Saw Taw Nee defended the suspension as “part of our procedures.”
Ner Dah Bo Mya could not be reached for comment.
Myanmar’s border regions are a patchwork of territories and alliances held by more than two dozen rebel groups, most of whom have fought against the military for more autonomy and resources.
Since the coup, the KNU has clashed sporadically with the military along the Thai border.
In March, its fighters seized a military post and the junta retaliated with air raids, the first in more than 20 years in Karen State.
The group has also condemned the military for the power grab, and provided shelter to dissidents working to oust the State Administration Council — as the junta has dubs itself.
Nearly 890 people have been killed by the junta’s security forces since Feb. 1, data compiled by a local monitoring group showed.
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