Myanmar Spring Chronicle – August 20 Scenes
MoeMaKa, August 21 2022
6 youths were killed in an explosion in Kyi Myin Taing Township
The incident occurred on the evening of August 19, at a cold and Kachin ale shop, located in Set San ward, on the other side of the Yangon River in Kyi Myin Taing Township, in which a bomb exploded and 6 youths died on the spot. It is believed to have been a hand-made mine explosion, and the dead were high school-aged youths. Did the homemade mine explode while it was being installed and tested? Or whether it was an explosion while sitting in the cold drink shop and the cause of death was not known. The night after the incident happened, citing some posts that were spreading on social media, some news outlets reported that the explosion occurred while Pyu Saw Htee were training, but in the subsequent news that these young people, not Pyu Saw Htee, were the ones who did not attend the high school run by the military council and participated in CDM.
The military council’s propaganda Telegram channels posted pictures of the dead and wrote that they had been killed by their own mines.
Hand mine accidents are often heard in the news, and there are frequent accidents and deaths not only in villages but also in cities such as Yangon and Mandalay. They were aiming to explode military council troops, the administrative offices of the military council and some government department offices like the electricity office, with homemade mines. And also, mines were placed on the highways in rural areas with the aim of detonation when military council cars pass by. It can be concluded that these activities were carried out at their instigation and with the intention of the military council not being able to rule. On the other hand, there are frequent occurrences of accidents due to insufficiency in materials and technical skill. PDF members lost their lives in houses, sometimes in the accidental explosion, while carrying the bombs in motorcycle tool boxes. After that, as a consequence, a lot of arrests happened without having time to escape. After looking at these events, I think it is necessary to review the consequences.
How much result will bomb blasting in cities achieve military objectives? How much can urban guerrilla tactics support the armed revolution? I think there should be review and analysis over such questions strategically. One possible excuse is that the spring revolution emerged on its own accord. Young people from various regions, who oppose coup, revolt and fight by forming forces on their own. This movement emerged in its own nature and the formation of those urban guerrilla forces and local people defense forces regionally has a similar collective nature.
It is true that new armed forces and guerrilla forces have emerged in various regions due to the military coup. It is necessary to integrate these emerging forces to act under a single common strategy, a single common armed movement and command. After passing a certain period of time, I think political organization, integration and military leadership will be necessary to reach measurable state of progress. If not, the tactics, skills and cooperative operation of the armed forces and underground forces that emerged in diversity, would lose steam later by themselves. And it should not be forgotten that the enemy under the unanimous command could take advantage of that situation.