Two years after the Myanmar military coup-crisis told by former soldiers-February 16, 12:33

It's been two years since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1st.

Fighting between the military, which holds real power, and pro-democracy forces is intensifying in border areas.

More than 1.1 million people were displaced from their homes by military airstrikes and burnings.

More and more refugees are fleeing to neighboring countries such as Thailand and India.

Among those fleeing are former soldiers who have left the military.

Ex-soldiers spoke about the actual state of armed oppression against civilians.

(Radio Center Koji Nishigaki)

towns along the border

In mid-January, I visited a town along the border between Thailand and Myanmar, where many Myanmar people have fled.

The town in northwestern Thailand is located about eight hours by bus from the capital Bangkok.

The border is separated by a narrow river called the Moei River, and the other side of the river is Myanmar.

I could see the restaurant, but there was no one.

There are no fancy checkpoints on the border.

On January 12, just before my visit, the "Friendship Bridge" connecting Thailand and Myanmar, which had been closed due to the corona crisis, opened for the first time in three years, and the general public walked from the Thai side to the Myanmar side. was seen

According to aid groups, the number of displaced people is said to be as high as 100,000.

An 18-year-old high school student who fled from central Myanmar says her family is still living a harsh life as a refugee in Myanmar.

18-year-old high school student

“There is always fighting in the village, and my parents are in the forest. I have to run around. It's so sad that I can't go to school. It's hard."

A direct hit on a former soldier who left the army

Among the fleeing Burmese are former soldiers who have defected from the Myanmar army.

The ex-soldiers responded to the interview on the condition that they would not reveal their names, places they interviewed, or the names of the units they belonged to.

Ex-combatants testified about the military's violent repression of civilians.

A 26-year-old ex-soldier described how he suppressed the crowd of protesters who had set fire to a military factory in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, shortly after the coup d'état.

26-year-old ex-soldier

: “The commander himself shot him. When two or three people fell, they all fled. People put bags over their heads, bent their knees and tied them with strings, and threw them into the river. It's a post-processing group's job. It sucks."

Another 23-year-old ex-soldier described how he went into battle against ethnic armed groups aligned with pro-democracy forces.

23-year-old ex-soldier

"When I arrived, there was a superior officer who gave me this order: 'You guys should do as I tell you. When you arrive, kill all the humans. I will take all the responsibility.'"

"Around 5 o'clock, just after dawn, we entered the village. All that was left were the elderly. They beat them and tortured them. If they found anyone in the village, they would If they didn't come, we would shoot them.There were a lot of people who didn't hit.Our

job was to do it one after another.And then we headed to the next village. They attack village after village.”

Some of the defectors are female soldiers.

A former military doctor, a 45-year-old woman, testified at the time that the military had tortured a civilian and lied about her cause of death.

45-year-old ex-military doctor

: “Bodies that died after being severely tortured at military interrogation sites were sent to military medical facilities. The military had doctors make falsified death certificates. The military doctors around me had medical certificates made, and I was told everything."

The ex-soldiers said they could no longer bear the fact that the military, which was supposed to protect the people, was pointing guns at them and torturing them.

Seeing an opening, I left the barracks and contacted a support organization and rushed in.

Many Gen Z victims in urban areas

A woman in her 20s who defected from the military said she was shocked a month after the coup.

In Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, 19-year-old Chee Sin, commonly known as Angel, who was participating in the protest demonstration, died after being shot in the back of the head.

The woman, who is Angel's generation, said the news on social media made her unable to bear being in the military after learning of her death.

Woman in her 20s

“What left an impression on me was the incident in which Angel was killed. It was really a shock.

Many of the protesters in urban areas were young people in their teens and twenties, the so-called Generation Z.

After the coup, young people peacefully demonstrated against the military in Yangon and other urban areas.

However, the military turned their guns on them, and many young people who were supposed to be responsible for the future died.

armed pro-democracy forces

It is said that the military oppression intensified in urban areas, and many people fled to the border areas.

In that border area, ethnic armed groups, who have been at war with the military since before the coup, have joined forces with repressed civilians.

Two months after the coup, pro-democracy forces launched an organization called the ``National Unity Government'' against the military.

Under these circumstances, citizens who received military training from ethnic minority armed groups formed an armed organization called the "National Defense Corps" and are fighting against the military in border areas.

Fighting between the military and the National Guard has been particularly fierce in the Sagaing Region of northwestern Myanmar, with the military repeatedly bombing and burning villages.

A man who used to be a teacher in the area and is now the leader of the National Defense Corps, spoke online about what is happening in Sagaing Division.

Man, leader of the National Defense Force

"When the Myanmar military kills civilians, women are beaten and killed. They don't leave babies, elderly people in their 70s or 80s. They kill even unarmed civilians."

Why attack unarmed civilians?

International humanitarian law, such as the Geneva Conventions, prohibits targeting unarmed civilians.

However, the former soldiers testified that the army knew this and attacked and burned the villages.

Former Soldier

: “We and our superiors are aware of the Geneva Conventions.

Ex-soldiers say there is a target for the Myanmar military.

Ex-soldier

: "It's to scare and rule. Another reason for air raids is that the National Defense Force will start fighting. Once the battle is over, the members of the National Defense Force will disappear. However

, , I know the villages where members of the National Defense Force live and where their families and relatives live.They air raids on those villages.In short, the military takes the residents as hostages and the residents are harmed by the National Defense Forces. I'm trying to make sure that it's because of

According to a former soldier, in the village of Sagaing Division, he testified that the National Guard had not lost to the army in the ground fighting, as it won the information war.

Former Soldier

: “The citizens are all enemies, so the army is isolated on the ground. I know all the movements of the army."

Ex-soldiers testified that the military has been bombing and burning villages to cut off support for the National Guard.

According to veterans, the military did not expect the fighting to last two years.

He testified that at first, the military thought it would be possible to suppress the resisting civilians in a short period of time.

Former soldiers who have left the military are said to have cooperated with and been interviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is investigating war crimes.

Organizations that support ex-soldiers say they want to prosecute military war crimes based on the testimonies of ex-soldiers.

Support for refugees

I heard that there is a “school” in the border area that accepts children displaced from Myanmar.

This “school” currently has over 600 students aged 8 to 19.

It is said that 250 people have been accepted since the coup.

The headmaster of the "school" said that some of the escaped children were severely traumatized.

Principal

: “Some students are mentally ill.

The tuition fee for this “school” is about 2,000 yen a month, and there are many families who are struggling just to survive, and there are many children who cannot afford the tuition fee.

Although the number of children displaced is increasing, support funds from overseas are declining.

Evacuation camps also lack support

In order to ascertain the support needs of the displaced persons, including this “school,” a support group consisting mainly of Myanmar residents in Japan visited the border area at the end of last year.

We donated clothes to displaced children and conducted a survey on their living conditions.

About 200 households live in the evacuation camp that was built a year ago, but the roof is simply covered with sheets and the walls are made of leaves.

It means that you are worried about whether it will last for another year.

Refugee woman

: "I'm worried if I can make it through the rainy season. The rain is leaking."

Refugee man

: “Since this is an arid area, if there is a fire, it will spread in an instant. The camp will be completely destroyed.”

In addition, doctors in evacuation camps are asking for help because they are short of medical equipment.

Evacuation camp doctor

: “I am a specialist in surgery, but I don’t have the medicines or respiratory equipment necessary for surgery. I'm really sorry."

Ms. Sue, a Myanmar resident in Japan, from the support group "Myanmar Peace Creation Association" is asking us for support.

Ms. Sue, Association for Creating Peace in Myanmar

“The first thing I would like to ask the people of Japan is food shortage, medical shortage, and education shortage. These three points are still lacking in Myanmar. I would like to ask for your help as we will deliver the support funds we have received to the areas where the fighting is fierce with a sense of speed.”

Interview postscript

The military coup d'état has stolen the lives and futures of young people who had enjoyed democracy under the Aung San Suu Kyi regime.

Furthermore, there are people who have been driven from their homes and are forced to live as refugees who cannot see tomorrow.

While children need food, clothing, shelter, and education, the international community's interest in Myanmar is declining as the situation in Ukraine becomes tense, and aid is dwindling.

Through this interview, I witnessed the harsh reality that Myanmar people face.

How is the Japanese government dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar?

The Myanmar military is still demanding an immediate cessation of violence, the release of detainees, and an early restoration of the democratic political system, but there is no sign of the military responding.

Under these circumstances, the Japanese government is focusing on humanitarian assistance.

Since the coup d'état, Japan has provided a total of 5.6 billion yen in aid, including food and medical care, through international organizations.

However, because the Myanmar military intervenes, the aid does not necessarily reach those who need it.

For this reason, they are now considering whether it is possible to provide so-called cross-border assistance, which is being done by the private sector, from the border areas of Thailand.

As the humanitarian crisis becomes more serious, humanitarian assistance that reaches those who need it as soon as possible is necessary.

Koji Nishigaki Joined

Radio Center

in 1984. After working in

the Metropolitan Police Department, Social Affairs Department, Manila Branch, and International Broadcasting Station, he is currently working at the Radio Center News Desk.