By Kantarawaddy Times
On Saturday, Karenni armed groups seized a hill top camp in Mese. It’s the fourth camp in the township captured in the area since the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF), formerly a Border Guard Force defected and took up the fight against the military regime.
According to the Karenni Army’s (KA) adjutant general, Col Bhone Naing, it was the main camp in Karenni State near the border with Thailand and served to coordinate with the other camps of Tawng Hla, Soung Hee, BP-14, Mae Tanwe and Nam Poung. Of these, only Nam Poung is still standing. But probably that won’t be the case for much longer. The Kantarawaddy Times has found out that its soldiers are already deserting their posts.
Many junta soldiers were killed or wounded when the Karenni soldiers took the Mese camp, while others simply deserted. The resistance captured all kinds of weapons, including many assault rifles and some 120mm mortars. Shortly after the junta sent four airstrikes at 6am.
“This area is very important for both the Burma army and the Karenni forces. They need it to expand their power. For us, it’s important because we need to take back all our territory from them,” Bhone Naing said. The border region serves as a vital transportation and trade route with Thailand.
The other three camps were captured on 13 June. The regime hasn’t been able to recover them until today, but continues to try and is sending troops, weapons and food to the township.
