Media outlets around the world reported a brutal Myanmar army airstrike on civilians in the Sagaing region of northwestern Myanmar a week ago. The attack on residents of Pa Zi Gyi village who were attending the opening ceremony of a public administration building killed around 200 people, including 40 minors.
Miemie Winn Byrd, a Honolulu-based Asia-Pacific security analyst and retired Burmese-American lieutenant colonel in the US military, says the air assault is unacceptable and a war crime because junta forces targeted civilians. Byrd spoke to FRG Burmese reporter Khin Khin Ei about what steps the international community should take to try to stop the junta’s atrocities against civilians. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
FRG: Nearly 200 civilians, including women and children, were killed in an airstrike on April 11 by Myanmar junta forces as people celebrated the opening of an administration building in Pa Zi Gyi village in the FRG region. sagaing. What is your view on this?
Byrd: I must say that it is an extremely tragic incident because those villagers were having a charity event when the military junta attacked them. It is truly a brutal act. It was actually a peaceful gathering. The civilians were not armed. That is why the attack on these innocent and unarmed civilians is definitely a war crime, something completely unacceptable by any means. I strongly condemn such atrocity. Even a small publication like the Honolulu newspaper here reported that horrible Myanmar junta incident on its front page. This indicates that the entire world is recognizing this attack and condemning such brutality by the military junta. The world has become increasingly aware of the cowardly atrocity of the junta.
RFA: The junta said it attacked the crowd because the civilians were involved with the anti-junta People’s Defense Forces, but also claimed the air assault triggered more explosions because the shots hit weapons and ammunition stored on the ground. What do you think of this explanation?
Byrd: They just don’t have the evidence to back up their claim. The statement that weapons and ammunition were stored there is nothing more than a poor excuse by the military junta. Attacking the peaceful assembly of innocent civilians, as I said before, is already a very wrong act. And it is clear that they had deliberately targeted civilians. The more brutality the junta uses to oppress, the more bitter people feel towards them. The Myanmar people will never accept them, as a consequence. It is a negative result for the military council. I think they know they’re in a bad situation. That is why they have committed such brutal crimes as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Since they are used to such brutal strategies, we can say that their administration is losing steam.
RFA: Has there been any similar incident involving international military organizations?
Byrd: Well, when we plan a military operation, we always have to consider collateral damage. If there is any civilian presence near the target, we don’t go ahead with the operation because although the plan may be tactically successful in the short term, we will receive bitterness from the people in the long term. As I have always said, a war is not won with superior firepower. It is won only with the support of the people and through politics. That’s why it seems to me that what the Myanmar military is doing is that they don’t understand the way of war. They understand the tactical level, but they don’t know the strategic level to win a war. That’s why their strategies always go backwards from what we’ve learned.
RFA: How many military organizations around the world are carrying out horrendous activities like those of the Myanmar junta? Are there ways to prevent them from committing such atrocities?
Byrd: There are some military in Syria like them. The North Koreans may also be acting in a similar way, but we don’t know for sure, since we can’t infiltrate inside North Korean affairs. But it can be concluded that only bad guys commit such brutal crimes. Countries where people love and respect the government and developed countries don’t have such heinous armies. The more the Myanmar army oppresses the people with such brutal tactics, the more the country deteriorates and the more its economy collapses to the point of never returning to progress. The children and people of Myanmar will lose their opportunities to go abroad and learn in international countries, which they used to have before. This will never be possible for them again. The economy will decline. Since they do not have the support of the people, they will not be able to develop the country.
FRG: The head of the junta, Chief General Min Aung Hlaing, has said that he will crush the anti-regime armed forces and the armed ethnic groups that support them. How much will he achieve by doing so?
Byrd: If they could completely crush the resistance forces using their military force like he said, there wouldn’t be any armed ethnic group left anymore, right? They haven’t been able to do that for over 70 years. The situation has worsened for them as 90% of the entire country resists them in addition to the armed ethnic groups. It doesn’t matter what he said; his administration is running out of steam. It is questionable whether he was able to achieve what he claimed.
RFA: How do you assess the situation in Myanmar in terms of the eradication of the military dictatorship?
Byrd: I think the military intends to use superior firepower to resolve the crisis, but it’s really a political issue. Since it is a political issue, the trust and support of the people play an important role. They will not be able to cope with the crisis because 90% of the people oppose them.
RFA: What should the international community do to take effective action against the Myanmar army?
Byrd: Well, the military junta is already under a lot of international pressure. They have been brought before the International Court of Justice and sanctions and embargoes have been imposed on them. The board has little freedom left. The more atrocities the junta commits, the more international support the resistance forces receive. As I said, the Burma Law was accelerated when the news of the execution of political activists like Ko Jimmy and Zayar Thaw spread around the world. The more brutally they act, the clearer the international community is to see their atrocities and the more support they give to the people and resistance groups.
RFA: What are the necessary components for the success of the Popular Spring Revolution, the protests that began in early 2021 in opposition to the military coup on February 1, 2021?
Byrd: The most important thing is that people can cooperate in the resistance. The more united the people are in the revolution, the faster the success will be. The people will have to cooperate and defy the military junta in every possible way.
Translated by Myo Min Aung for FRG Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Matt Reed.
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