An interview with Major San Yu from the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)-555.
April 6th, 2022
On March 21st, Major San Yu, the commander of the military column-2 under LIB-555 got arrested while the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) captured Mawkhee camp in the south of Myawaddy.
The KIC interviewed Major San Yu about the seizure of Mawkhee camp, the current political crisis, unity in the army and the situations of frontline soldiers.
Q: Can you recall the fighting at Mawkhee camp before you got arrested?
A: I performed my duties at Mawkhee camp since January, 2022. I was not stationed in the camp as I was a commander of the military column. I had a good relationship with local ethnics. Locals do the farming there. Bo Ka Lae from No.908 of the DKBA is active in the nearby areas. We are like brothers although there is military tension across the country. We help each other. On March 21st, our camp was attacked by the KNLA with excessive forces.
Before that, our members got arrested when they went outside to buy necessary things. The officer who remained in the camp is me. I controlled the situation at the camp. They (KNLA) marched to the camp with the use of excessive forces and drones. We resisted the offensive for around five hours. We had to surrender to the KNLA due to an imbalance of troops and weapons.
Q: How did the KNLA treat you when you got arrested?
A: I was taken to the commander of No.201 Battalion when I surrendered to the KNLA. I did not meet him on the first day. I met him the next day. My leg was injured as soon as I arrived there. They treated me well. They let me take a bath. I had no clothes. I had only underwear and a vest. They gave me clothes and food. They told me that I would be detained according to the War Prisoners Law.
Q: How long did you stay there?
A: I stayed there for two days. I met the battalion commander. He asked me whether I was the commander of the military column. He told me that you were not secure there, and you would be moved to the barrack. The next day, they purchased the clothes for us. We have no clothes. We were moved to another place after the photos were taken with these dresses.
Q: As a commander, may I know your view on the current political situation?
A: The military staged a coup on February 1st, citing vote frauds. The situation was complex as the entire people staged protests. At that time, I was in the forest. Mobile phone line was out of service. I did not know the up-to-date situation. I did not know anything at that time. But I came to know the situation to a certain extent. However, I didn’t know the situation exactly. In the past, we were walking on the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) path. It was working well. I want all sides to continue to implement the NCA. Because in my view, most soldiers don’t want to fight. Our soldiers want to protect the country from external threats. We have to fight with our ethnics. We are upset although we have to perform our duties according to the orders. Because we don’t want to kill others and to die. I just want to say that there is a missing point in the current political incident.
Q: May I know your view on the burning of houses and the killings of the people?
A: I felt sorry about the displacement of ethnics although I performed my duties. Because I had to stay away from my parents for 20 years. I could not go home even though my mother died. I was allowed to go home. But I did not see my mother’s body. She was cremated. At present, not only ethnics but also Bamar fled for their lives and suffered casualties. I am a bit upset over it. In my view, the desire for war is not good.
Q: As you said, the soldiers have a desire to protect the country from external threats. May I know your view on the standard army which is mentioned by military leaders and the current situation?
A: In the past, the army must keep abreast of the international community. We wanted to get the same salaries earned by the soldiers in ASEAN. We also wanted to get the public’s respect. Because we are doing what other people cannot do. We expected the public’s respect and love. The coup fell short of our expectations. The situations we want are totally different from the current situations.
Q: What is the situation in the army as many captains and commanders joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM)?
A: The situations in the military units are different. I had to perform duties in remote areas. Especially those who joined the CDM are from the military units in towns. Most soldiers did not get the latest information as they had to live in the forests for a long period of time. The soldiers in towns know the situations. They have much more knowledge about the CDM as their offspring grow up in cities. The CDM is not so popular among the soldiers in the forests as they have to work for their survival. The current situation in the army is the recitation of Dhammasetkyar. They are not interested in what is happening in the country. They recited Dhammsetyar and Mahathamaya for the safety of frontline soldiers.
To be frank, only one or two people in the army can use the internet. It is unfair. They are not in a position to do what they want as they have families. I don’t want to give any comment on it as they are walking its own path with their trust.
Q: May I know your response to the public’s question why the soldiers don’t join the CDM as the military is committing atrocities?
A: I think soldiers want to join the CDM. But some soldiers have families. Some soldiers have to perform their duties for the survival of their families. They cannot join the CDM although they have desires to do so.
Q: In the past, the people felt sorry when a soldier died in the frontline. Now most of the people are satisfied with the death of a soldier. What do you think about this situation?
A: To be exact, the people view it as an unjust coup. The public has freedom. The soldiers have to obey the rules. The public has the right to freedom of speech. Some people joined the CDM and completed the training course. The public are discontented with the case like the killing ofMya Thwe Thwe Khaing in Nay Pyi Taw. The military makes big mistakes. The military’s impression power has declined. The public clap their hands and show their happiness over the death of a soldier. Most of the people called us “military dog” when we got arrested. Some people gave us snacks as they pitied us. Some people said there was no need to give snacks to us as we are military dogs.
Q: How do you feel when you receive such a response from the public?
A: I feel dissatisfied. I feel meaningless about my work. Sometimes, I myself questioned what I was doing wrong. I had to do my work according to the orders.
Q: May I know your view on the military’s killings of the people by regarding as enemies?
A: Now we are fighting. Before the fighting, we enjoyed alcohol together. I thought the situation continued as usual. The situations have changed unexpectedly. Fighting hampers the country’s development. Other countries see developments due to a lack of war. There will be no problem in the western country if there is war. They can do the reconstruction easily. I want both sides to stop fighting and hold talks as our country has lagged behind others. We should implement the federal system after the ceasefire.
We should conduct negotiations instead of spending the time on cooking and other work in the camp. Locals will get income by farming. Now they don’t get income. The country will see more developments by enabling the public to generate more income. Both sides should make compromises and coordination for peace. As both sides have suffered casualties, we should return to the negotiation table. We should implement a system suited to our country and work for the development of our country. We should elect a leader accepted by the majority of the people. The elected leader should lead the country.
Q: May I know your future plan?
A: At present, I have no income. I was not as lucky as others in the army. I have no many belongings. My future plan is that I cannot rely on others as being a human being. I want to do income-generating work. As a youth, I want to improve. I want to have a normal standard of living in the future. Now I have no rank and duty. There is no person who will insult me. If not, I get insulted, however I do something good. I am happy as my seniors and subordinates will no longer insult me.
Q: Do you have a desire to perform duties in the Tatmadaw if you have a chance?
A: I no longer want to perform duties in the Tatmadaw. I will rejoin the army for the country. As an organization, I don’t want to join it. I lost the war. I want to continue my life as an ordinary civilian.
Q: What is the plan for your subordinates who got arrested along with you?
A: I have two plans for them. The first one is employment opportunities. The second one is moving to a third country. The KNLA will help us as much as they can. We are not safe here. I warned my subordinates to be careful about their security. I think staying here is not ok for the long-term. They want to move to the third country as most of my subordinates are single. Some want to go to the third country. About two people have no desire to do so. It is about asylum seeking. I feel sorry about one point. I performed military duties for over 20 years. As a soldier, I had to obey the orders. The military put blame on me for all faults.
I am not a rude person. I assume that there will be a social community which can understand and accept me. The first point is I will take asylum. I want to get citizenship. To be exact, I am not angry with ethnic side. I am very angry with the military. Because the military has contingency plans for a big fight. In addition, the plan is perfect. There is mutual support. The military doesn’t accept the real situation. I got this rank by overcoming the situation to a certain extent. The military did not accept what I said. I want to challenge them if they are in my place. I am not discontented with them. If I have a chance, I want to tell them to perform my duty.
Q: How did your seniors treat the frontline commanders?
A: To be frank, there is a very low trust. My seniors did not accept it if I reported the actual conditions. My subordinates are angry with me. As a senior, I was upset over it. The seniors never asked former commanders about the situations here. As a commander, I had to create the suitable situation on the ground. They have poor thinking skills as they hardly do reading. What will happen if they don’t get their salaries for six months? They will try to get money for eating. I will have to solve this problem.
I have to solve this problem as much as I can. The delivery of dried fishes disappeared into thin air. Those from above never asked me. They put blame on me when there was a problem. Our withdrawal from this camp is the loss of the public funds. I did my best as the military reviewed that we should die and be sent to the gallows. Nothing is as important as human lives. I protected my troops as much as I could. They will not see it.
Q: What is the accommodation condition of the camp?
A: There is a shortage of food in Mawkhee, Kanallay and Bayintnaung. We had to buy the goods worth around Ks-one million for them. Wawlay has shops as it is downtown. Some battalion commanders performed duties here. They know the situations here. At that time, the situation was not so bad as the political situation was not complex. I performed my duties here for years. They never asked me about the situations here. Although my subordinates did not know how I had to take risks to get a packet of pounded fish paste and salaries, young officers who worked together with me knew it well.
Q: Some PDF members involved in the resistance war are educated. May I know your view on the involvement of those youths in resistance war?
A: As far as I know, they are bright. They are educated although they have no fighting skills on the ground. As most of them are educated, they know how to use modern drones. The military has drones. But we cannot use it. The military has imposed tight restrictions on the use of drones. The drones are expensive. We don’t dare to use these drones. We will have to pay compensation if the machines are out of order. They (PDFs) are in a position to use it. I know it at once. Their tricks are very good as they are educated. Fighting is a brain game. They don’t hang bomb on the drones. We adopted a disguise as much as we could as they took photos. I am ashamed to say it. They have team work.
According to the term used in football playing, our side is not proficient in both defensive and offensive as our side is weak in using brains. Other side is proficient in both offensive and defensive. In addition, they abide by the rules in the communication system as they were trained. Actually, I am a commander. I had to perform duties both on the battle ground and in the camp. I gave the communication machine to a lower-ranked soldier. I switched on the machine, and he pressed the close button. It was not convenient to talk on the machine. Our soldiers have no teamwork and cannot use these materials. Those from the other side can use the materials as they can read the instructions in English. My subordinates don’t know how to press the buttons. So, we faced loss in the fighting in terms of technology and teamwork.
Q: May I know your view on the NUG and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) which emerged after the coup?
A: I don’t know too much. I know Dr. Zaw Wai Soe. Defense Minister U Yee Mon. I watched the video conferencing. I watched the DVB and the Mizzima. I watched them although the military ordered the soldiers not to watch them. I listened to what they said. I am not insulting them. They are called the government in the air. They provide support for the fighting from the behind. The admin plays a crucial role in fighting. Having the better knowledge of the admin will win the victory. There are some weak points in supporting the Admin. I think they are doing their best. We all worked together during the independent struggle. There is a disunity after independence. I think they will be more convenient for them if they can try to avoid the split.
Q: Which message do you want to convey to the people in all strata?
A: I don’t dare to say that the people from all strata are wrong as they are doing what they believe. I have no chance to speak out. However, I want to call on the people not to go to the extreme. Even soldiers have to give pardon when they surrender. Negotiation should be made with the people from all strata, on the point we want, instead of political disagreement among ethnics.
Q: Do you assume that it is the correct way that military leader Min Aung Hlaing officially said the military would annihilate all the dissidents rather than negotiation?
A: I think it is not the correct way. Because they have ego. I am straight. There is no problem as the other side is aggressive. There will be a problem if both sides are aggressive. In my view, it is not good if both sides want war.
Sent by the KIC.
