Clarification on situation of northern Shan State by Information Team leader of the State Administration Council
Nay Pyi Taw July 26
I am going to explain the situation in Northern Shan State today. MNDAA terrorists launched attacks in Lashio and surrounding areas on 3 July. In doing so, they conducted firing of rockets and bomb attacks with the use of drones on residential areas of ordinary people rather than military positions. Lives and property of people were lost. Religious edifices, roads and bridges, public hospitals and clinics and schools were damaged. Thirty people including five children were killed and 55 people were injured in Lashio alone.
Our national race people were forced to escape the fighting by leaving their houses, shops and businesses they had built with their savings for many years and many generations. Currently, many national race people have run away from such areas and taken shelters in other towns and villages including PyinOoLwin, Taunggyi and Mandalay because MNDAA, TNLA and AA terrorists and their ally PDF terrorists have targeted towns and villages. It can be seen that the government, local administrative bodies, volunteer social assistance organizations and private well[1]wishers are offering assistance to them. I would like to say that I am proud of the Myanmar spirit and willingness of national race people along their ways to stand with and offer assistance to those who were displaced by attacks of insurgents. While people with the Union spirit and Myanmar spirit are doing so out of their humanitarian spirit, it is disappointing to see that exiles, organizations and media that rely on foreign countries are supporting insurgents who are destroying the lives and property of the people like robber gangs. It can clearly be seen how wicked and destructive those who are happy to see the deaths and losses of the people and destruction of property, public roads, bridges, schools, places of worship like pagodas, monasteries and religious buildings are to our country and our people. Entire people must cooperate and oppose them resolutely.
It can be seen that the MNDAA terrorist group announced that they had occupied Lashio. An official from the Tatmadaw Information Team has explained that the news was fabricated for propaganda purposes. Within a short time after the announcement of the MNDAA, a Bamar traitor organization called the BPLA echoed the news and destructive media and those who rely on foreign countries launched propaganda campaigns massively as usual. Uniquely, a large number of pro[1]paganda campaigns were also launched in Chinese language on TikTok and WeChat pages. It is necessary for all our peo[1]ple and security organizations to understand the aim of these saboteurs is and why they spread the fabricated news massively.
MNDAA, TNLA and PDF terrorist groups suffered a large number of deaths, injuries and losses during the fighting in Lashio, Nawnghkio, Kyaukme and Hsipaw areas in July and many of them fled away. So, they arrested national race people including children, elderly peo[1]ple and IDPs in villages they occupied and forced the people to fight for them. This caused losses of lives and property again. Therefore, they are doing so to cover up their real situation and low morale. Here, I would like to remind you that those who were unlawfully recruited by MNDAA, TNLA and other terrorist groups can run away from them to safe places. The Tatmadaw and our security organizations can guarantee their lives and security.
When terrorists attack Lashio and related areas, people from all over Myanmar, including local people and even the Chinese people protested their banditfriendly act. Therefore, they fired rockets and heavy weapons on houses and in the neigh[1]borhoods where the people live, and scared the people away. They entered public places pretending to be civilians. It was done to break down the opposition of the public, the unity and opinions of our ethnic people. In addition, it was done to get more aid from the local and foreign organizations backing them.
Today, they entered in some parts of Lashio in civilian clothes, and then changed into uniforms and walked around in the city showing flag hoisting. They toured around some places in Lashio city by car and took pictures and videos to spread propaganda.
The public, Tatmadaw members, Myanmar Police Force members and people’s militia who are bravely fighting for the lives of the people and the nation in this region, need to know about it.
MNDAA, TNLA and combined terrorist groups are attacking lives and property of the local ethnic people. They are committing racial discrimination, arbitrary occupation and forced recruitment of soldiers to death in the areas they illegally invaded. You will see that they are attacking each other to control the territory. In which areas they illegally invaded, are the socio-economic lives of the local people improving? I would like to question whether it is safe. It is only the bandits who are defeating the national race people by relying on weapons.
Tatmadaw is an army that emerged with the independence of Myanmar. Working together with the ethnic people to achieve Myanmar's independence, we sacrificed life, blood and sweat. At the time when Myanmar gained independence and the government was being called Yangon government due to various insurgent groups, Tatmadaw cooperated with the responsible national race people to safeguard the independence of the country and the sovereignty of the people of Myanmar. Among the 14 military commands in the Tatmadaw, the North-East Command is fine in its tradition. It defeated the Kuomintang invasion from abroad. It repeatedly defeated the invasions of the Communist Party of Burma. It is the military command that helped the local national race people to free from the oppression of the warlords and opium kings.
At this time today, according to the situation and the times, it can be seen that the bandit war royalism has seen clearly with various disguises, propagandas and racisms. It is also seen that those who have a destructive spirit on this country and the public, the nefarious conspiracy of unfaithful scumbags and organizations, are supporting warlordism. These issues are about to end. It's like a fire that's about to go out. They are spreading false propaganda so that the fire that is about to be gone out is spreading. We need to be aware of these. Everyone needs to work together. The national race people, Tatmadaw, MPF members and militia forces must work together to wipe out the terrorists who sneak into towns and villages pretending to be civilians. The State and people are valued and proud of military personnel, members of the Myanmar Police Force, militia forces, ethnic organizations and ethnic peoples, who are fighting at great risk across the country. Ensuring the protection of ethnic communities is crucial for victory.
As long as Myanmar exists, Tatmadaw will be there. As long as the Tatmadaw exists, Myanmar must be sustained and strengthened. The property, life and social and economic life of the public must be secured. While the entire ethnic popu[1]lation is united and working together “Let's protect our land to make the motherland stable and peaceful”.
Thank you all.