Padoh Saw Taw Nee, a spokesperson for the KNU.
Mizzima
The Karen National Union (KNU) has said that 617 junta personnel and family members being held by the KNU following their surrender will only be returned to the junta regime if they specifically ask to be returned.
The personnel and their family members surrendered when fighters from the KNU’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) attacked the junta’s Thinganyinaung Strategic Hill army base in Myawaddy Township, Karen State at 8:00 am on 5 April.
By the time the KNLA took control of Thinganyinaung Strategic Hill, five hours later at 1:00 pm, 617 junta personnel and their family members had surrendered. They included 410 junta soldiers, 67 junta army officers, 59 police officers and 81 of their family members, according to the KNU. Amongst the prisoners was the junta’s Colonel Tun Tun Latt who had led the mass surrender, the largest ever recorded in Karen State.
Currently, the KNU is ensuring that these people are being safely detained and receiving humane treatment, as they are entitled to under international humanitarian law, according to Padoh Saw Taw Nee, a spokesperson for the KNU.
He said: “We are steadfast in our commitment of adhering to the Code of Conduct we are bound by; we will rigorously uphold it. Additionally, we remain dedicated to abiding by international humanitarian law. Our priority is ensuring the humane treatment and safe detention of those who have surrendered.”
Thinganyinaung Strategic Hill, on the Myanmar to Thailand trade route, has been held by the junta for over 50 years, since 1968. The KNLA said that when they took control of the base they also seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition.
For ethnic people in the area of Thinganyinaung Strategic Hill, the Myanmar Army’s presence has adversely impacted the local economy, education, and society, leading to an erosion of traditional culture and instilling fear among the populace, according to the KNU.
