An interview with Saw Dar Ko, commander of the Dawna Column, on the military junta’s ongoing efforts to regain control of the Ye-Dawei road
In a renewed offensive, the military council is currently attempting to regain control of the Ye-Dawei road, which is under the control of allied resistance forces, including Dawna Column troops.
Than Lwin Times conducted this interview with Saw Dar Ko, the commander of the Dawna Column, about how the military junta is trying to regain control of this stretch of road during the rainy season, what plans the allied resistance forces, including the Dawna Column, have to respond to the junta’s offensives, and the difficulties they face in clashing with the junta forces during the current rainy season.
Q: What tactics is the military council using to regain control of the road section?
A: The military council is trying to regain control of the road by sending in four military columns. They are trying to advance along National Highway 8, all the way to Kaleinaung. As far as we know, the combined strength of the military council forces is between 350-400 troops. Their approach is to advance and block the section of the road. As you know, we have controlled this road section since March.
Q: Have there been any clashes between the two sides recently after the military council deployed troops disguised as civilians? Have there been any casualties in these clashes?
A: The junta reinforce troops disguised as civilians in some areas. They also use the road when transporting troops to the Southeast Command in Mawlamyine. They use civilian vehicles or travel under the disguise of civilians. They clashed with us when they tried to advance into the area. The battle lasted over an hour.
On their side, including the officers, six were killed and around five or six were injured in that clash. In the second clash, we used drones which also caused numerous deaths and injuries on their side. Our ground troops were also engaged in that battle. But, there were no deaths or injuries among our allied forces.
Q: And, the allied resistance forces operating along the Ye-Dawei road section have issued a warning to intensify their military operations and launch a strong counter-offensive against the military council.
A: Yes, that’s right. On our side, all the allied forces have joined forces and are fully prepared to regain control of this road section. We publicly announced a few days ago that we will step up our military operations. This was to alert the public and travelers to avoid unnecessary travel on this road whenever possible, and to exercise extreme caution if they do have to travel.
In other words, there are no problems during the day. But, as we have already announced, only emergency vehicles are permitted between 6pm and 6am. We have requested that even emergency vehicles must keep all the lights on while traveling.
Apart from this, regular cargo trucks and passenger buses can generally travel during the day. We will only take the necessary control measures in the event of suspicious circumstances. But there is no total lockdown or ban on all civilian movements. The priority is to allow the public to carry out their daily activities, livelihoods and essential travel as smoothly as possible. These measures have been coordinated and implemented in consultation with our allied forces.
Q: Do you mean that the fighting between the two sides along the Ye-Dawei road could escalate even during the rainy season?
A: As far as we are concerned, we will not let up our resistance even during the rainy season. We have plans to go on with our offensives. Although the rainy season makes fighting difficult, we will not give the enemy any respite.
Nor will we retreat. We will continue our determined offensives. Another point I would like to raise is that the troops of this military dictator Min Aung Hlaing are gradually becoming demoralized. In the fighting, we see them fleeing and surrendering from time to time.
They have absolutely no fighting spirit and are no longer willing to go into battle. So this is a call to all soldiers of the weakening Min Aung Hlaing troops as well as all other military council troops we are currently fighting against – it is time to defect to our side while you still can. We have repeatedly called on them to surrender and join our resistance forces wherever they are stationed. We have made requests to them, including through social media, to defect to our nearby positions.
Q: You have specifically warned the public not to use the Ye-Dawei road section unnecessarily as the safety of the locals takes priority to avoid civilian casualties. But how do you plan to allow flow of goods and commodities, including essential goods such as medicine, food and fuel, via this route?
A: Yes, as I mentioned earlier, we do take into account the livelihood and travel needs of the population. Our troops exercise great caution during offensives in areas where civilians are moving and residing. Even during our recent clashes, the Mawrawaddy naval base fired heavy weapons indiscriminately at villages, resulting in civilian casualties. An entire local family, including two children aged just a few months and 12 years, along with their parents were killed, when they fired blindly into the village. Three other civilians were also injured. The whole family was tragically killed.
So you see, with these brutal guys shooting ruthlessly at anything that moves, we sometimes have to conduct extremely careful military operations to avoid civilian casualties. This is a big challenge, but in the real situation on the ground we are doing our best.
For absolutely essential travel, we again ask the public for full cooperation at our checkpoints and for cars to keep the doors shut while traveling. I wish all civilians that they can travel safely during this difficult time.
Q: What advice or messages would you like to convey to the public who rely on Ye Dawei Road for various purposes such as social, economic, healthcare, transportation of goods, etc.? Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: We will do our utmost to provide a safe journey for all travelers. However, we would ask the public to closely follow the latest safety information and stay away from areas where clashes are occurring. If fighting breaks out in your area, please stop immediately, seek shelter and wait for a safe window to continue your journey.
There have been incidents where some civilians panicked and rushed blindly into the line of fire between the two sides. So at the first sound of fighting in your area, seek suitable cover and shelter immediately, giving priority to protection from heavy weapons, rockets and air strikes. If possible, seek shelter in trenches or ditches until the fighting subsides. This is our sincere appeal to everyone. Thank you all.
Sent from Than Lwin Times.