The Karen National Union recognizes the limitations of the United Nations and is concerned about the uptick in Myanmar junta jet fighter attacks in a report just released on the crisis in Karen State.
The KNU unveiled its report titled, "Myanmar Military's War Crimes in Kawthoolei: Loss of Lives and Livelihoods after the Coup of 2021" in a virtual press conference on 5 April.
KNU officials including KNU Vice Chairperson Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win offered a briefing on the report.
According to the report, the KNU Human Rights Committee has documented “a total of 7,587 armed clashes in Kawthoolei—the areas under the KNU’s administration—between February 2021 and December 2021, leading to at least 365,187 people being displaced from their homes.”
The committee has analyzed all forms of human rights violations that had occurred during these armed clashes and found that there are 19 different human rights violations - including airstrikes against civilians, arresting civilians, arbitrary shooting of civilians, heavy artillery use against civilians and torching civilian’s houses - being committed in Kawthoolei.
As for the KNU, they have made it a top priority to prevent any violations of the military code of conduct, according to the report.
“The KNU has been especially vigilant about making sure the military code of conduct is not violated during armed conflicts, and in the event that alleged cases of such violations have been reported, the KNU has made its best efforts in rigorously following its own laws by carrying out investigations and taking legal action accordingly.”
According to the report, the junta has increased its use of airstrikes in response to its heavy casualties on the ground, targeting not only armed resistance groups but also civilian areas, including villages, hospitals, schools and religious buildings.
The report says that the junta’s airstrikes in the southern part of Myanmar, particularly in KNU-controlled areas, have caused more damage to civilian infrastructure and livelihoods than to military
targets. This indicates that the junta is trying to instill fear in the civilian population and reduce their support for the KNU, according to the report.
The report adds that the junta’s procurement of new fighter jets is concerning for the safety and security of the people, as these findings indicate that the military junta is likely to continue committing crimes against humanity and violating human rights in the future.
Massive communication cuts and travel restrictions imposed by the junta have deprived the vast majority of people across Kawthoolei of access to important news and necessities, while living under constant fear and insecurity, according to the report.
Regarding the safety of women, the report says, “Even in villages that are not directly targeted by the junta, grown-up men usually avoid living for too long at a time and only women stay behind to take care of village affairs. Even though these women have to worry about potential sexual abuse and life-threatening risks on top of everything else, they try to guard their hard-earned homes and properties.”
The report accuses the junta of using innocent civilians and their residential areas as defensive shields and deliberately destroying essential public facilities. It pointed out that the Geneva Conventions stipulate the obligation to protect civilians in time of war and to refrain from attacking essential public facilities such as hospitals and clinics, but the junta had failed to fulfill these obligations.
The report recommends that the UN establish a no-fly-zone and internationally guaranteed safe zones to protect civilian areas, including villages, internally displaced people camps, hospitals, clinics and schools from military attacks.
To foreign governments and international organizations, the report urges legal action against the Myanmar military junta. The report also calls for all-inclusive humanitarian dialogue and cross-border assistance agreements.
In the report, KNU says it firmly believes that establishing a federal democratic union, where democratic principles are both proclaimed and practiced, is the only way to overcome chauvinism and all forms of authoritarianism, including military dictatorship, and build lasting peace in a socially and religiously diverse country like Myanmar.
The KNU selected 5 April to host the virtual press conference in commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the Karen Women's Organization.
In the Q&A session of the virtual conference, KNU’s spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee acknowledges the limitations of relying solely on the UN in the fight against the junta, as he understands that geopolitics plays a significant role in its decision-making.
“We understand that the UN is composed of governments from around the world and they all have different interests. Geopolitics plays a big deal in terms of the decisions made by the UN. So, we understand that there are limitations from the UN’s side too. So, we are aware that there are things that we can rely on the UN and there are things that we cannot rely on,” he said.
He stated that KNU would continue to do whatever it could and analyze what kind of support the international community could provide in achieving its goals. He added that KNU would also make its own efforts to reach pro-democracy objectives.
