Myanmar Spring Chronicle – August 28 Highlights
(MoeMaKa, August 29, 2025)
Junta Declares Karen National Union (KNU) an “Unlawful Association” and “Terrorist Organization”
The military junta has officially declared the Karen National Union (KNU)—Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed organization fighting for self-determination—an unlawful association under Section 16 of the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, and simultaneously labeled it a terrorist group under the Counter-Terrorism Law.
The Unlawful Associations Act, introduced by the British in 1908, has long been used by successive governments and military regimes to imprison villagers and civilians accused of having even incidental contact with ethnic armed groups. Under Section 17(1), many thousands of ordinary villagers—including headmen and elders who were forced to speak with or provide food to passing rebel troops—have faced 2–3 years’ imprisonment for “associating” with insurgents, despite having no political or military involvement.
After decades of such use, reforms in 2011 under President Thein Sein brought ceasefire talks, and in 2012 the KNU signed a ceasefire agreement. It participated in further political negotiations alongside other groups, leading to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) signed on October 15, 2015. In the days leading up to the NCA ceremony, Thein Sein’s government even removed five ethnic groups from the unlawful associations list. On October 12, 2015, the KNU itself was removed from the list.
Now, nearly 10 years later, the junta has once again re-listed the KNU as unlawful and gone further by declaring it a terrorist organization.
Political Motives Behind the Label
Designating armed groups as “unlawful” or “terrorist” is not unique to Myanmar—some governments worldwide take similar measures to criminalize support networks. But in this case, the junta appears intent on:
-
Stripping political legitimacy from the KNU, which has long participated in peace processes.
-
Enabling harsher punishments: The Counter-Terrorism Law carries heavier sentences—including life imprisonment and the death penalty—beyond the old Unlawful Associations Act.
-
Intimidating civilians in junta-controlled areas, deterring them from offering any contact or support to the KNU.
“Terrorist” – A Weaponized Label
Since the 2021 coup, as Myanmar’s civil war has intensified, the word “terrorist” has been increasingly weaponized.
-
Civilians now commonly use it to describe the junta itself, pointing to its massacres, torture, property destruction, and indiscriminate killings of the elderly and children.
-
The junta, meanwhile, uses the Counter-Terrorism Law to prosecute resistance fighters, handing out long prison terms or even death sentences.
Practical Implications
Militarily, labeling the KNU a terrorist group is unlikely to alter realities on the ground, especially in areas firmly controlled by the KNU. However, in junta-administered areas, this declaration increases the risk for civilians:
-
Anyone suspected of contact with or sympathy toward the KNU may now be arrested and severely punished.
-
Ordinary villagers could again face criminalization for incidental or coerced contact, repeating decades of past abuses under Section 17(1).
👉 In essence: The junta’s declaration is less about battlefield outcomes than about political delegitimization and intimidation. It seeks to undermine KNU’s standing and frighten civilians into avoiding any association, support, or sympathy for one of Myanmar’s longest-standing ethnic resistance movements.