{"id":7402,"date":"2025-08-26T01:36:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T19:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=7402"},"modified":"2025-08-26T01:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T19:06:11","slug":"the-destruction-of-gote-htik-bridge-and-the-propaganda-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/08\/the-destruction-of-gote-htik-bridge-and-the-propaganda-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Destruction of Gote Htik Bridge and the Propaganda War"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 August 24 Highlights<\/strong>
(MoeMaKa, August 25, 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The Destruction of Gote Htik Bridge and the Propaganda War<\/h3>\n

On the morning of August 24<\/strong>, about a 30-foot section<\/strong> of the Gote Htik Bridge near the Kyaukme side collapsed. Within hours, social media news outlets were reporting that the bridge had been blown up. So far, no armed group has officially claimed responsibility.<\/p>\n

However, Shwe Phi Myay News Agency<\/strong>, a Ta\u2019ang-affiliated media outlet whose journalist runs the well-known Mai A Naing Facebook account<\/strong>, responded to criticism accusing the Ta\u2019ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) of destroying the bridge. The account compared such accusations to the junta\u2019s own indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery attacks, which have hit monasteries, pagodas, and ancient heritage sites. This post suggested the incident might<\/em> be linked to TNLA but was later deleted.<\/p>\n

Many social media users expressed the view that it was unacceptable to deliberately destroy such a landmark. The Gote Htik Bridge<\/strong>, built during the British colonial era and over 100 years old, is part of the northern Shan State railway route and also a tourist attraction. Critics argued it should not have been a military target. In response, some pro-resistance voices countered by pointing out the junta\u2019s destruction of cultural and religious sites in Mrauk-U<\/strong> and elsewhere, where artillery fire damaged monasteries, pagodas, and historical structures. They argued that outrage only surfaced now\u2014when a bridge was hit\u2014while civilian deaths and destruction of heritage by the junta had been normalized or ignored.<\/p>\n

By late August 24, TNLA spokespeople denied involvement<\/strong>, suggesting instead that it could have been the result of junta aerial bombardment.<\/p>\n

This follows recent battles: last month, the junta retook Naungcho<\/strong>, a town TNLA had held for nearly a year. Since then, TNLA has been preparing to counter attacks from the Kyaukme side. Earlier, the Gote Twin Bridge<\/strong> on the road between Naungcho and Kyaukme had already been destroyed. The Gote Htik Bridge remained the only functioning railway connection between the two towns, so its destruction is widely seen as part of the broader military struggle.<\/p>\n

\n

Propaganda vs. Reality<\/h3>\n

In war, no side admits the full truth<\/strong>\u2014this is the nature of conflict. The destruction of the Gote Htik Bridge, a century-old landmark, is less about determining the outcome of the ground war and more about its propaganda value<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the daily reality of war is the death of innocent civilians:
\u2013 Children and pregnant mothers
\u2013 The elderly and the sick, unable to flee
\u2013 Entire families killed when homes are burned<\/p>\n

Such tragedies, numbering in the hundreds and thousands, are heartbreaking\u2014but they have become so frequent that many now see them as \u201cordinary\u201d or \u201cunremarkable\u201d events.<\/p>\n

On social media, people asked: \u201cIs the loss of an old bridge more important than the loss of human lives?\u201d<\/em> The answer is obvious\u2014human life matters more than monuments<\/strong>. Yet both truths coexist: while civilian deaths must be prevented at all costs, the destruction of cultural heritage and religious monuments should also be avoided.<\/p>\n

\n

Historical Parallels<\/h3>\n

The Gote Htik Bridge had already been damaged twice during World War II.<\/strong> At that time, not only bridges but also cultural landmarks\u2014like the Mandalay Palace buildings<\/strong>\u2014were bombed and burned down.<\/p>\n

This is not unique to Myanmar. During the Bosnian war of the 1990s<\/strong>, countless centuries-old architectural treasures in Dubrovnik<\/strong> and Sarajevo<\/strong> were destroyed by shelling and bombing. Similarly, Myanmar\u2019s civil war has already seen the burning of monasteries, pagodas, and over-100-year-old Christian churches<\/strong> due to artillery fire and airstrikes\u2014and with the war ongoing, more could still be lost.<\/p>\n

\n

The Real Responsibility<\/h3>\n

No armed group should treat innocent civilians as enemy sympathizers<\/strong> to justify torture, execution, or extrajudicial killings. Likewise, neither religious buildings\u2014whether Buddhist, Christian, or of any other faith\u2014nor historic cultural sites should ever be used as military targets or destroyed for tactical advantage.<\/p>\n

When the war ends, human lives lost cannot be restored\u2014and neither can destroyed heritage.<\/strong> Both are irreplaceable. The war is not only inflicting material losses<\/strong> but also profound psychological scars<\/strong>, which will weigh heavily on Myanmar\u2019s future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 August 24 Highlights(MoeMaKa, August 25, 2025) The Destruction of Gote Htik Bridge and the Propaganda War On the morning of August 24, about a 30-foot section of the Gote Htik Bridge near the Kyaukme side collapsed.…<\/p>\n

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