KNU Statement on SPDC Military Campaign

OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
KAREN NATIONAL UNION
KAWTHOOLEI

KNU Statement on SPDC Military Campaign

• The SPDC military clique did not suspend its military offensives even during the rainy season of 2007. It was carrying on its offensives while the Yellow Gold Color Mass Movement, led by the Buddhist monks was taking place, during September 2007. In the offensives, the SPDC army troops, in accordance with the SPDC policy, perpetrate the heinous crimes of arresting and killing innocent Karen civilians, plunder, destruction, forced relocation, forced labor and extortion of money.

Starting from the beginning of harvest time in October this year, the SPDC has increased the tempo of its military operations. At the present, the SPDC is intensifying military operations in the KNLA:

• Brigade-1 area of Thaton District, after reinforcing its initial 7 battalions of troops with 7 new battalions from its MOC-19.

• Brigade-2 area of Toungoo District, after reinforcing its initial 17 battalions with 17 battalions from its MOC-4, MOC-21 and MOC-10.

• Brigade-3 area of Nyaunglaybin District, after reinforcing its initial 18 battalions with 14 battalions of troops from its MOC-21 and LID-33.

• Brigade-4 area, after reinforcing the initial 13 battalions with 7 more battalions of troops from MOC-20.

• Brigade-5 area of Papun District, after reinforcing the initial 23 battalions with 21 battalions of troops from MOC-16, LID-33 and LID-55.

• Brigade-6 area of Dooplaya (Kawkareik) District, after reinforcing the initial 14 battalions with 10 more battalions of troops from MOC-8 and MOC-15.

• Brigade-7 area after reinforcing the initial 12 battalions with 7 more battalions of troops from MOC-15.

In total, there are 187 SPDC army battalions, which are conducting military operations in the KNU base areas.

• As usual, in the military operations, the SPDC troops regularly burn down villages, destroy the people’s orchards, plantations, harvests and rice barns - arrest, torture and execute innocent civilians - drive out the people from their homes and villages - loot properties and domestic animals such as cattle, pigs, hens etc. - extort cash, plant land mines in villages, forced people to live in concentration villages, commandeer trucks and bullock carts and forced thousands of people to work for them without pay.

• These SPDC brutal military operations are a war of genocide. Thousands of villages are laid waste and the people have become virtually homeless as refugees. In the beginning of 2006, about 20,000 Karen people have become homeless about 3,000 had to flee to the border areas. At the present, thousands of Karen people have to flee for their lives again.

• The current military campaign is in fact a genocidal war and it is diametrically opposed to the process of resolving the political problems by political means. For that reason, we, the KNU, issue this statement for all the people at home and the international community to know and to condemn the atrocious acts of the SPDC.

December 10, 2007
KNU Supreme Headquarters