Myanmar Spring Chronicle – October 18
MoeMaKa, October 19, 2023
Global and Myanmar Affairs
In some corners of the world, armed conflicts, assaults, wars, and reprisal attacks claim hundreds of lives in an instant. Meanwhile, Myanmar witnesses daily arrests, torture, killings, and numerous casualties amid armed conflicts scattered across the nation.
International conflicts reveal widespread indiscriminate armed attacks, retaliations, forceful oppression, and assaults based on ethnic, religious, and territorial differences.
Recent events, notably the conflicts between Palestine and Israel, vividly illustrate the brutality, evil, and moral decay inherent in war, armed attacks, reprisals, and revenge.
Territorial expansion, new settlements, and the expulsion of people based on differing races and religions occur, grounded in interpretations of land ownership defined by historical origins, the area’s original inhabitants, religious beliefs, and recent living patterns spanning 2 to 3 generations—a period termed modern history.
A recent hospital attack resulting in around 500 deaths within minutes casts a grim shadow over the ongoing conflict, generating heightened dissatisfaction and resentment.
The incident in Gaza City’s hospital, subjected to daily airstrikes since October 7, raises questions about the war’s brutality, sparing not even the innocent. Controversy arises over who bears responsibility for the massive explosion. While the Israeli military, daily attacking Gaza’s northern part, accuses the Islamic Jihad group, Palestinians insist Israel’s airstrikes caused the entire hospital’s destruction.
In times of war, the truth becomes the first casualty. Those embroiled in conflict often sacrifice truth to secure victory, believing that deception is essential for success.
Regarding the hospital attack that claimed over 500 lives, public acceptance of the truth now appears elusive.
War demands not only manpower, weapons, and finances but also stokes resentment, dissatisfaction, trust issues, and intense emotions. Myanmar, like other nations, inherits a legacy of civil war spanning decades. Post-coup, the embers of civil strife have flared anew with heightened intensity, fueled historically by oppression, abuse, forced labor, and inequitable resource distribution.
As the world witnesses events akin to the Israel Air Force’s denial of involvement in Gaza’s hospital attack, a recent explosion or airstrike in Mung Lai Hkyet, a village housing war refugees near Laiza in northern Myanmar, adds to the toll. Nearly 30 civilians perished within minutes, with dozens more injured. The military council attributes the incidents to explosive materials in the refugee camp, yet the fog of war makes it impossible to discern the truth.
To sustain prolonged conflict, the supply of arms and financial resources must align with discontent, resentment, and strategic propaganda efforts to remain resilient both materially and psychologically.