Most of our people do not like the military dictator’s arbitrary power and control over the country. They are revolutionizing in various forms and now it has arrived in a period of more than 3 years. The lives of the young people who are really fighting in the front line of the armed revolution, food, weapons and ammunitions supported by the public behind the scenes. They invested a lot.
Therefore, ethnic EROs, and PDF commander from the ground, have to think first how to achieve a big victory with minimal damage. Because when a city or a camp was seized by the revolutionary forces, successes are followed by lives that have to be paid. Most people are not aware of that
Therefore, in Karenni State, it is seen that a committee is being formed for the military council soldiers to defect and take shelter. Other revolutionary forces also have to negotiate to surrender with the strategists and the battalion commander of the military council in the front line. Usually, the military council troops are too weak and surrender their weapons only when they are surrounded and given military pressure from the revolutionary forces.
On April 5th, due to the attack by the joint revolutionary forces led by the KNLA, including Colonel Tun Tun Lat, the strategic commander of the Thin Gan Nyi Naung, 67 officers and 410 other level soldiers,a total of 617 surrendered, including 59 women soldiers and 81 army family members. According to the statement from the revolutionary forces, many weapons and ammunition were obtained. 2 large 122mm weapons,2 big 120mm weapons and a large amount of ammunition, other large arms and small arms were seized.
Therefore, after military pressure, negotiations and a lot of weapons and ammunition were obtained for the revolutionary forces. Normally, the revolutionary forces have to pay an average of about 170,000 Kyats for an AK with 3 boxes of ammunition and 5000kyats for a bullet. After such a profitable success, some people mocked the soldiers who surrendered. This is quite a point to be aware of. If the military council soldiers, in terms of dignity, resisted and fought to the death, our pdf comrades would have to pay with their lives more or less.
Now, there is no loss of life on the side of the revolutionary comrades. And a lot of enemy weapons are quite useful. Moreover, the soldiers who surrendered with the white flag are not the same as prisoners of war, or those who were caught alive in the middle of the battle. They coordinated and surrendered their weapons, you can tell by looking at the new weapons that were seized that they surrendered. I think it is worth for feeding such people.
One thing is that in the circumstances of Colonel Tun Tun Lat’s interview on KIC, they have faith in their leader Min Aung Hlaing. They have conviction and belief that they surrendered because they are afraid of death. On the side of our revolutionary forces, they treated the enemy if they were on the battlefield but they followed the Geneva Convention on the care of surrendered soldiers.
Another benefit is information gained from soldiers who surrendered. For example, a person like Colonel Tun Tun Lat, the chief strategist, has been detained by the revolutionary forces, he may have attended the National Defense University of the Military Council since he is a strategist, we can find out the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy’s location by collecting information from him. In addition, we will be able to find out the information about the defensive preparations of their previous troops from the officers/soldiers at the bottom.
Therefore, as prisoners of war who surrendered and committed war crimes against the public, the question is whether they should be released. Now is not the time to thoroughly investigate and take action. It is a time when we are trying to reduce the enemy’s strength as much as possible. But one day after the revolution, they must be punished.
Currently, the military council members who surrendered to the revolutionary forces are being held in a safe place and kept in accordance with the International Prisoner of War Law.
Right now, the Military Council is conducting psychological warfare by falsely saying, “The PDFs will kill you even if you have surrendered.” Not only we need to not encourage such conversations, but also we needs to share humanity and the enemy prisoners of war are treated well by the revolutionary forces.