An interview with Dr. Thiri Mon Chan, Chair of Mon State Defense Force (MSDF)
Following the coup, the Mon State Defense Force (MSDF) was formed as an army representing the Mon people to fight against the military council. Currently, the MSDF is active in the southern region of Mon state and is attacking the military council.
The Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA) interviewed Dr. Thiri Mon Chan, Chair of the MSDF about its movement.
Q: What is the purpose of forming the MSDF?
A: There are two main purposes of forming the MSDF. We can say short-term goals and long-term goals. The short-term goal is to join hands with other armed organizations in the Spring Revolution to fight together as an army representing Mon state. The second purpose is related to long-term national issues. It is like a professional army that can protect the interests of the Mon people in the future. We aim to build a Mon national army, and that is why we formed the MSDF.
Q: May I know the MSDF’s military and political expectations?
A: The MSDF has short-term and long-term military objectives. The short-term military strategy is related to current political goals. The short-term military strategy is to root out the military dictatorship and dictatorship by joining hands with other allied armed ethnic organizations and the PDFs. The political purpose is not too different from the military purpose. The political purpose aims to overthrow the dictatorship including the military dictator and to ensure the emergence of a genuine federal democracy in Myanmar. For our Mon state and our Mon people, we aim for a country with the right to self-determination and sovereignty. We want two systems—the federal system and confederation. But now the people no longer talk about it. But there are two goals to make the Mon state full of self-determination and sovereignty. The first objective is related to the whole country. The whole country wants to root out different dictators including the military dictator. For 70 years, we have been engaging in armed struggle for national liberation and self-determination which is aspired by the Mon people.
Q: What kind of operations are currently being carried out? Where?
A: According to the current situation, there is no major military activity yet. But we have a movement together with our allies, because it provides conditions. We are mainly active in southern Mon state and Tanintharyi region. We have placed special emphasis on the military preparations in southern Mon state. It’s not a war that forces a bullet to come out. According to the words of military experts, war is a strategic preparation. How to make war and how much support can we get from the Mon people is a basic foundation. We start working on it. Fighting is easy. Soldiers can start fighting in the places where they can defeat the enemy.
But in order to be able to stand in a war zone for a long time, we need the support of the Mon people and the support of our allies. According to our military strategy, we are building bases here in the south. We are working on public relations and policy-making to gain support. I’m pretty much ready to do that.
Q: May I know the inclusion ratio of female soldiers in the MSDF?
A: In the current situation, it can be said that the army is newly established. Our MSDF was established in around September 2021.However, it is a real reform. We reformed our force to become a strong force. Later, we reformed the political and military leading committee at the end of January 2023. However, the inclusion ratio of female comrades in the structure is relatively low as we have to station in the territory of our ally. Female staff are especially included in the medical unit, clinic, public relation and communication department. The females are not included in the frontline battles. In the future, if the strength of our movement and the strength of the army become large, we have set a strategy for the women’s army to be like that.
Q: According to the current situation, there are battles and assassinations in most of the townships in Mon state. In this situation, how is the MSDF going to protect the public?
A: It is the second purpose of our formation of the MSDF. The aim is to make a strong army to protect the people including Mon people in Mon state. Now, as you all know, due to the weakness of our Mon armed forces in fighting and the low strength in Mon state, other ethnic alliance organizations and other PDFs have come to fight in our area. In order not to harm the people for our Mon people in this war, our Mon armed forces must fight in our territory. In some opinions, we are lenient to the Mon people. We did not start fighting in Mon state to ensure a peaceful situation. This is wrong in our opinion. In my state, war is like a forest fire. If you don’t start a war in your Mon state, our ally Karen National Union (KNU) and Brigade-8, start battles in almost all areas of Mon state. The battles have affected the people in Mon state.
That’s why if we want peace in Mon state, our defense force that does not harm the Mon people, the New Mon State Party or any other army, must fight in its own territory. For the people in Mon state, we must avoid fighting in some places which may harm the public. That’s why if you don’t want to burn a forest fire, sometimes you have to start the fire first. Only then can forest fires be prevented.
It is the same in war. From the military point of view, we have a proactive plan and proactive strategy. Instead of staying calm like this, before the war comes, you have to plan for the war in advance. If we do this kind of fighting ourselves, we will be able to prevent the killings, injuries, and deaths caused by the fighting in most of the townships in Mon state. That is why we are making special efforts now. In Mon State, we are planning a military strategy on how to start the battle so as not to harm the people.
Q: There were also the deaths of members of the MSDF due to ambush attacks by the KNU Brigade-5. What is the situation regarding this issue?
A: We have communicated with the KNU many times regarding this issue. The KNU has not taken accountability and responsibility yet. We contacted Brigade-4. We phoned KNU Headquarters, the KNU (Central) Secretary and the President. I myself called them several times. No one responded to my calls. I sent emails to Brigade-4 and headquarters. I received a reply from Brigade-4. In the reply letter, the Brigade-4 said that it would report it to high ranking officers. However, no reply is received later. I got in contact with Saw Kler Say, Spokesperson of the KNU (Central). He also told me that he was waiting for the reports from the ground units and the commanders. But it’s been months now, I haven’t heard anything yet. On top of this, our Mon forces, The Mon nationals are also quite impatient. When they are fighting a common enemy, such bullying and unfriendly actions should not be done among the allies. Commanders or the KNU leaders should pay attention to these issues and clarify them. In-charges, commanders and KNU leaders should place special emphasis on the problems happening on the ground in order to lessen the big problem and end the small problem. Nothing happened as we expected.
Sent by IMNA