An interview with Chit Min Lu, information officer of the Homalin People’s Defense Force (HPDF)
June 30th, 2022
The HPDF has been declared as a local defense force under the National Unity Government (NUG). The HPDF is active in Homalin and Phaungpyin. The Shan-ni voice interviewed Chit Min Lu, information officer of the HPDF about its stance and desire.
Q: May I know the HPDF’s current activities?
A: We have to perform our works to defend the public and region as being a people’s defense force. At present, we are dealing with the complaints lodged by locals. I will not reveal the military affairs as it is confidential. We have released information about some clashes with the military council via our page.
Q: Where is our force active and based?
A: We are based and active in Homalin included in Shan-ni territory. Sometimes we are active in other regions, for instance, Phaungpyin if necessary.
Q: Are there other PDFs in Homalin? Do you affiliate with other PDFs as other PDFs are present in Homalin? Do you stand separately? Is there a demarcation of territory?
A: There are two PDFs and one Local Defense Force (LDF). They are the HPDF, the Battalion of the HPDF-124 and the Homalin People’s Local Defense Force (HPLDF). We have affiliated with others. There is no territorial demarcation. The affirmation of all the defense forces is that we are active, regarding every place the people are present as the territory which needs defense.
Q: Some PDFs said they would stand separately and not be under the control of the NUG. How does the HPDF operate?
A: We have affiliated with the NUG. Our HPDF is a force which is active in accordance with the NUG’s policies, international laws and military laws.
Q: How do you raise the fund? Do you get the NUG’s assistance?
A: We have to rely on the funds donated by the public. The NUG also provides assistance to us.
Q: Which comment do you give about the criticism that the PDFs don’t accept the opening of schools?
A: The school opening is divided into two parts. The first is the schools which are operating the NUG’s education in the liberated areas under the leadership of the EAOs and the PDFs. The second is the military council’s military slavery education school. The opening of schools by the military council depends on the desires of the people. We, the PDFs, can guarantee that we will not carry out targeted attacks on the schools like the military council. In recent days, the military itself planted and cleared the mines as it wanted to open the schools in Naungpoaung to get the public’s affections and tarnish the image of the PDFs. We don’t accept forced labour at the school. For instance, the military forced the villagers to do school cleaning with a quota of one person per house in Naungpoaung. In some villages, the military and some organizations put pressure on the teachers and students who have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). We totally oppose such acts as these cases are forced labour and the violation of human rights.
Q: The NUG is implementing the interim education programs. Will you object to the attendance of the schools operated by the military council, by those who don’t believe it and those who have no access to it? The noticeable point is that the current syllabuses are being implemented in the tenure of the government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD). Do you assume that our teaching alone is right?
A: As I answered the previous question, it will be in accordance with the will of the public. Unlike the military, we will not attack the schools. I used the term “the military slavery education” in my answer. Teaching styles of the NUG and the military council are different although syllabuses are the same. To be clearer, now the school opens in Naungpoaung. Unqualified teachers are teaching the subjects as many female teachers have joined the CDM. In addition, the military and organizations organized the public saying that they just need to enroll the students and no need to attend the classes and sit the exam in villages. This is not the education system which has essence. This is just a class promotion system. Another point is there was an open book system and the teachers who watched the exam rooms helped the examinees in the matriculation exam in our region. The military council’s attitude is evident whether the military wants the people to be the educated ones or the people recognize the military council and enroll the students. Another significant example is the military council and some organizations have threatened the people in some villages that the CDM teachers who teach the children at homes would get arrested. It amounts to saying that their teaching only is right. I want the public to thoroughly read the statement issued by Homalin-PDF on April 8th. In the statement, it denounces the matter that the military council and some organizations put pressure on the CDMers only. It doesn’t announce what will happen when the children go to school. I would like to say that we don’t accept the fact that our teaching alone is right.
Q: There is the criticism that the PDFs are mainly attacking small frontline outposts, active military columns, police stations and civilian targets to clear the informants instead of the military outposts in most of the places including Homalin. How does the HPDF want to respond to it?
A: This question has two parts. The PDFs attack small frontline outposts, active military columns and police stations instead of the base camp of the military council. This may be due to their strategies. The public has accepted these strategies. The second criticism is the attacks on civilian targets under the pretext of clearing the informants. I would like to question how many targeted attacks on innocent civilians who don’t harm the public and are not the military’s pillars are there in Homalin. As far as I know, there were four cases of attacks on innocent civilians in Homalin. Four cases are: the murder of CDM teacher Ma May Hnin Aye. A man was killed in Htamanthi. On April 17th, Maung Kyaing was killed in Tawsi village. On May 2th, the Phaungpyin village was killed in Ywardanshae village. The PDFs have nothing to do with four cases. Locals have already known which organizations committed the cases. Till date, the HPDF and the local PDFs have never carried out targeted attacks on innocent civilians. The PDF and the Public Administrative Body are directed to take stern action against those involved in the attacks. For the country as a whole, the public has witnessed that the NUG made investigations and took actions against those who carried out targeted attacks on the civilians.
Q: The EAOs have been active in the Homalin area since before the coup. Have you established relations with the EAOs? What is the HPDF’s attitude towards the EAOs?
A: We have established the relation with the EAOs. Our HPDF is a force formed with most Shan-ni races. The EAOs are divided into two groups. Some EAOs have affiliated with the NUG while other EAOs have not affiliated with the NUG. According to the NUG’s policy of coordinating with local EAOs, the HPDF has to coordinate with the EAOs. In my view, the EAOs must really represent their ethnics. They should not be the armed groups which cause a burden to their ethnics and oppress their own ethnics. The undertakings must be in conformity with the desires of locals. Only then, will the public support the EAOs in unison. Our HPDF also supports the EAOs who stand for the public and receive the public’s big support.
Q: Now has the NUG recognized Homalin as a federal area as the NUG has guaranteed that it would build up a federal democratic union in the future? How about the HPDF’s attitude towards it?
A: The question seems to mean the territory like Shan State and the self-determination which is the basic rights of ethnics. The officials are working on it. It is found that tax and judiciary affairs are being implemented in Homalin Township according to the NUG’s federal character. As I mentioned earlier, according to the NUG’s policy of coordinating with local EAOs, we coordinated with the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) even in some cases. I don’t want to tell in detail as it is confidential. Our stand is that ethnics must have the right to self-determination. So, we will implement the ethnic federal area in accordance with the desires of the people in Homalin.
Q: Do you have anything to add?
A: What I want to add is the HPDF will not do the acts which go against the desires of the public as our force emerges from the public. The public can criticize us via our official social media page if our HPDF’s works are wrong. We can welcome the public’s criticism. We guarantee that we will not carry out armed violence, threats and ferocity like the Fascist army due to the criticism.
Sent by Say Kaung Kham (Shan-ni Voice)
