Bangkok, Aug 29 (AP) — Myanmar's military junta officially classified the Karen National Union (KNU) as a terrorist organization on Thursday. This decision effectively criminalizes nearly all activities associated with this prominent ethnic rebel group, including any third-party interactions.
The KNU has engaged in sporadic conflict for greater autonomy since Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948. Based in the country's southeast, the group has intensified its combat against the military since the 2021 coup that deposed Myanmar's elected government.
A KNU spokesperson declared on Friday that the group remains unfazed by the terrorist designation. Highlighting international indictments against Myanmar’s military, KNU's Padoh Saw Taw Nee remarked, “There's no need to prove who the real terrorists and international criminals are, and who constitutes an unlawful association.” The KNU has pledged to obstruct national elections scheduled to begin on December 28. However, the terrorist label complicates even nonviolent information campaigns, which have already been declared illegal.
The state broadcaster MRTV reported that a military committee designated the KNU as a terrorist organization for purportedly causing significant harm to public security, lives, property, and infrastructure. Furthermore, a separate announcement on MRTV stated that Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the military leader and acting president of Myanmar, labeled the KNU and its associated groups as unlawful organizations, thereby criminalizing any contact with them.
Following these announcements, MRTV repeatedly aired a 1947 quote from Aung San, Myanmar's independence hero, cautioning the KNU against disrupting the election. “Our government will not look on with indifference at those who try to disrupt the election,” stated the excerpt attributed to Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the 2021 coup. The broadcast continued, “They will be severely punished. Our government will not interfere with anyone who is competing freely in the election. However, let me clearly warn you that we will use all our power to suppress anyone who tries to disrupt it.”
Critics denounce the polls as a facade to legitimize the military takeover. They further argue that the disbandment of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which secured a significant victory in the 2020 elections, renders the polls incapable of being fair.
Several opposition factions, including the KNU, have vowed to sabotage the election. The military administration recently enacted a law last month imposing the death penalty under certain conditions for those who challenge or disrupt the voting process.
With a long-standing history of seeking greater autonomy, the Karen and other minority groups residing in border areas have faced continued struggles against Myanmar’s central government. The KNU, alongside seven other ethnic insurgent groups, initially signed a ceasefire agreement in 2015 with a quasi-civilian government to end over 60 years of conflict.
However, after the 2021 coup, the KNU allied with pro-democracy militias and provided sanctuary to those resisting the military regime. Whereas nonviolent protests were harshly suppressed, armed resistance has risen, engulfing much of the nation in civil war.
The armed branch of the KNU, the Karen National Liberation Army, has actively combated the military government's forces in Kayin State while training young urban activists in warfare basics. Known as Karen State, Kayin has become a focal point of the resistance.
The KNU, among other ethnic minority groups clashing with the military, boycotted the peace talks proposed by the junta following the coup, deeming them inadequate.
Their primary demands include the military's exit from politics, the establishment of a federal democracy, and international involvement in resolving the ongoing crisis in the country. (AP) NPK NPK
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