Kay Du / Kantarawaddy Times
“Even if the revolution hasn’t over by the time I grow old, I’ll keep going until the end. I’ll fight until the revolution wins.”
These are the heartfelt words of 19-year-old Mi Nge, a young woman from Karenni frontline.
With a determined and tough spirit like solid rock, her voice reveals her unwavering will to resist the enemy with full strength.
At 19, most young people in Asia are still under parental care and focused on education. But because of a military regime, Mi Nge has become a revolutionary fighter. Before taking up arms, she dreamed of becoming a teacher.
Her hometown, Mese Township, became a battlefield on June 13, 2023, when fighting broke out between the junta forces and joint revolutionary forces.
Since then, constant airstrikes, artillery shelling, and close combat have made it unsafe for her to continue her education, forcing her to abandon her dreams.
“When I was still studying, if I passed Grade 10 and the country’s politics is stable, my dream was to become a teacher. But now, that dream has been shattered,” she said.
With no access to safe education, she, like many other youth, chose the path of armed resistance against the military dictatorship.
Today, she serves as a drone pilot in the Drone Unit of the Karenni Army’s (KA) Panther Regiment, taking part in operations to resist the junta regime.
As a revolutionary fighter, she treks through jungles with a backpack on her shoulders.
“I wanted to work hard to support my family and make them proud. But now I’m not in a position to provide for them anymore, and I feel guilty for that,” Mi Nge shared.
Though still in her teens, Mi Nge is deeply committed to the revolution and frequently goes to the frontlines. Her motivation emerged after a close comrade of hers died in battle. Her desire to fight the junta became even stronger.
“When one of our comrades dies, it really affects me emotionally. That comrade died in Bawlake. So, I want to go to the frontlines even more to avenge them,” she said.
At the frontlines, Mi Nge serves as a drone pilot. She completed basic drone attack training and was deployed to the frontlines immediately after graduating.
She never imagined herself on the battlefield. Even though she’s a drone operator, she still faces the same dangers as any other soldier on the frontline.
She has narrowly escaped death numerous times amid heavy artillery fire and airstrikes launched by the junta.
“During the battle in Bawlake, while the drones were in the air, jets came, and I had to flee and hide,” she recalled of her first combat experience.
Now, as Mi Nge gains more experience in battle, she has become increasingly used to the sounds of gunfire and bombs at the frontline.
Once a girl who dreamed of being a teacher, must hold pen and chalk, but Mi Nge now grips a drone controller and stands firm on the battlefield.
When she’s not at the frontlines, she sometimes visits IDP camps to offer words of encouragement and engage in cheerful activities. But during difficult times, she tends to stay quiet and alone.
Mi Nge and many youth like her will continue resisting the military junta, which seized power unlawfully and continues to violate human rights.
Now, she fights on the frontlines, holding the drone control device in her hands, striving to become a small but powerful force to stop the junta’s inhumane actions.
