Myanmar Conflict
Prahok. Sorry if you've already answered this, but what kind of air power is being used and who's got it - attack helicopters and planes?
- Prahok
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 226
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:33 pm
Can't say I've been asked, however the ethnic armies have no conventional airpower, though are making good use of commercial drones.
The Tatmadaw have old ex-soviet helicopters, however they have been proving vulnerable to groundfire with four or five brought down in the last year or so (mainly during resupply of beseiged troops).
Their main combat aircraft are a mix of older Chinese kit and some slightly more modern Russian aircraft. It's quite a menagerie. Two training aircraft have been brought down in combat (whether shot-down or crashed due to mechanical failure is unclear), suggesting the Tatmadaw are having to put in the air whatever flies.
They did take delivery of 4 modern Su-30's from Russia late last year, however whether these are ready for combat operations is unknown. If they don't come with advanced weapons systems and accompanying munitions then they will add little to the Tatmadaw's capacity, but will further drain its maintenance and operations resources.
Whilst some of these aircraft are decent on paper, the Tatmadaw does not appear to have the weapons systems or ammunition types to make them highly effective. It is also unclear as to their capacity to maintain airframes and pilots through a heavy work-load. The fact barrel bombs pushed out of helicopters is an ongoing tactic suggests the conventional airforce is at its limit.
1
1
- Phuket2006
- The Internet is my Friend
- Reactions: 101
- Posts: 6993
- Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:00 am
related to the above:
AA Info Desk statement ( arakanarmy)
AA Info Desk statement ( arakanarmy)
Sittwe market shelledWe deeply mourn the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives and the injuries sustained in the artillery shelling conducted by the navy warship of the terrorist State Administration Council (SAC) in Sittwe's Korean port market on February 29, 2024. This deliberate act resulted in the untimely death of twelve civilians, while 31 individuals suffered critical injuries, and 50 others experienced varying degrees of mild to minor injuries, leading to a total of over 80 casualties.
This appalling incident highlights the SAC's flagrant disregard for human life and their willingness to commit war crimes. It is particularly disturbing that they targeted a crowded marketplace in Sittwe, despite the absence of active hostilities in the area.
A regime shell reportedly killed at least 12 people and injured dozens at Myoma market, in the Rakhine State capital of Sittwe, yesterday morning. The attack was conducted at the busiest time of the day in the town’s main bazaar � and at a time when people are desperately trrying to stockpile food.
The Arakan Army and the junta are blaming each other for the incident. In a statement in English issued last night, the AA alleged that a junta navy vessel fired the shell � a cllaim supported by an eyewitness speaking to Narinjara. The Rakhine armed group branded the attack a “heinous atrocity” and a war crime, saying that no fighting was taking place in the area. It added that 12 civilians were killed and 31 were critically injured, with a further 50 suffering “mild to minor” injuries.
The junta, meanwhile, claimed in today’s Myawady newspaper that the AA “recklessly fired heavy weapons” on the market. The military rag did not provide details about casualties, saying only that the local authorities and charity groups helped transport the victims to Sittwe General Hospital.
The incident comes amid fears that the Rakhine capital could become the next site of clashes between the AA and the regime. The town has consequently thinned out in recent weeks; a resident told Narinjara that just one-third of Sittwe's population remains. "The Ah Myint Kyun Min Chaung Bridge is the city's only escape route, and it has been destroyed in a mine attack. This means that if there is fighting, no-one can escape. As a consequence, both urban and rural residents are fleeing,” the source said. Some residents are risking a boat journey, with some paying up to K50,000 (about US$13 at the market rate) in a bid to reach AA-controlled territory. This is a price many cannot afford, while checkpoints on the state’s roads and waterways make travel a risky gambit.
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
- Phuket2006
- The Internet is my Friend
- Reactions: 101
- Posts: 6993
- Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:00 am
although from last Nov this is still going on
Fraudulent money lenders prey on the vulnerable
Online loan app scams have exploded in Myanmar amid a deep economic crisis, trapping victims with predatory interest rates and blackmailing them after accessing their personal data.
https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/frau ... ulnerable/
Fraudulent money lenders prey on the vulnerable
Online loan app scams have exploded in Myanmar amid a deep economic crisis, trapping victims with predatory interest rates and blackmailing them after accessing their personal data.
full story:Ma Khine*, a 34-year-old factory worker in Yangon, only gets paid K210,000 per month making clothes for a Chinese company – around US$63 at the market rate. Faced with soaring commodity prices, in August she downloaded a mobile application for quick loans called Flash Cash. She submitted the required information, including a photograph of her Citizenship Scrutiny Card, and accepted the privacy settings.
To start, Ma Khine requested a modest K50,000, but was puzzled when only K35,000 was transferred into her Wave Pay account. When she contacted the company’s listed phone number, a representative explained that K15,000 had been preemptively deducted as interest for the first 10 days, but she still needed to repay the entire K50,000.
“Because of the high interest rates, I said that I don’t want the loan anymore, and I sent back the K35,000. But the record of taking a loan didn’t disappear, and the interest rates kept going up every day,” she said.
Then the phone calls started.
“Not only me, but also my friends, parents and other relatives started getting calls demanding that they pay back the loan,” she said. “I was so sorry for my friends because they weren’t simply asking for money, but were speaking rudely.”
After a month, Ma Khine checked the app again and found that, with interest, the outstanding loan had climbed to over K100,000.
https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/frau ... ulnerable/
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
- Prahok
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 226
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:33 pm
The attack on the market makes little sense for either side.Phuket2006 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:47 amThe Arakan Army and the junta are blaming each other for the incident.
My guess is Tamadaw naval units are providing fire-support for ground units fighting the AA on Sittwe's Northern approaches and a round was fired with a dud charge resulting in it falling well short.
- Phuket2006
- The Internet is my Friend
- Reactions: 101
- Posts: 6993
- Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:00 am
the same excuse the Israelis use in GazaPrahok wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 10:29 amThe attack on the market makes little sense for either side.Phuket2006 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:47 amThe Arakan Army and the junta are blaming each other for the incident.
My guess is Tamadaw naval units are providing fire-support for ground units fighting the AA on Sittwe's Northern approaches and a round was fired with a dud charge resulting in it falling well short.
1
1
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
- Prahok
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 226
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:33 pm
When the Junta lost Kokang, 6 of the 7 Tatmadaw generals present elected to surrender. One organised his troops into a fighting withdrawal, eventually airlifted out of the region.
The Junta have arrested said Brigadier General for withdrawing without Junta head, Ming Aung Lain's, permission.
It is a classic clase of 'beatings will continue until morale improves'.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/my ... state.html
The Junta have arrested said Brigadier General for withdrawing without Junta head, Ming Aung Lain's, permission.
It is a classic clase of 'beatings will continue until morale improves'.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/my ... state.html
- Prahok
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 226
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:33 pm
A good article by Bertil Lintner on the history of the ethnic Shan armies.
Unfortunately the article is rather light on the rationale for their non-involvement in the current conflict.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest ... junta.html
Unfortunately the article is rather light on the rationale for their non-involvement in the current conflict.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest ... junta.html
- Bong Burgundy
- Where Did All the People Go?
- Reactions: 286
- Posts: 2506
- Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 12:20 pm
- Location: K440 Channel 4 News
Video of Cambodian military convoy falsely linked to Myanmar conflict
As fighting between the Burmese junta and ethnic rebel forces intensifies, a video of tanks being transported in Cambodia has been shared hundreds of times in social media with a false claim that it was taken in Myanmar's Rakhine state in March 2024. The video was posted online at least two months earlier and was filmed at a market in the southwestern part of Cambodia.
"10/3/2024 Rakhine," reads the Burmese caption of a Facebook post published on March 10, 2024.
The video shows a convoy of large trucks carrying tanks in camouflage patterns through a road.
Clashes have rocked Myanmar's western Rakhine state since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November 2023, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the military's 2021 coup.
Junta troops hold Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, but in recent weeks AA fighters have made gains in surrounding districts.
Pro-junta Facebook accounts in Myanmar have also shared the video alongside similar claims here and here.
The comments under the post suggest that many people believed this video was filmed in Rakhine.
"May Myanmar army troops win," one person commented.
Another wrote, "May our Tatmadaw succeed in all the wars."
However, this video was not filmed in Myanmar. AFP was able to geolocate the video to a market in Cambodia.
Keyword search of the TikTok handle seen in the clip led to a video published on January 26, 2024 by a user who regularly uploads videos in Khmer - the official language of Cambodia (archived link).
The same user has also published multiple videos from the same location (archived link).
Multiple billboards with Khmer language are visible in the video.
Using these visual clues, AFP was able to geolocate the video to Tram Kak market in Cambodia's Takeo province, located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of the capital Phnom Penh.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/video-cambodi ... 37390.html
As fighting between the Burmese junta and ethnic rebel forces intensifies, a video of tanks being transported in Cambodia has been shared hundreds of times in social media with a false claim that it was taken in Myanmar's Rakhine state in March 2024. The video was posted online at least two months earlier and was filmed at a market in the southwestern part of Cambodia.
"10/3/2024 Rakhine," reads the Burmese caption of a Facebook post published on March 10, 2024.
The video shows a convoy of large trucks carrying tanks in camouflage patterns through a road.
Clashes have rocked Myanmar's western Rakhine state since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November 2023, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the military's 2021 coup.
Junta troops hold Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, but in recent weeks AA fighters have made gains in surrounding districts.
Pro-junta Facebook accounts in Myanmar have also shared the video alongside similar claims here and here.
The comments under the post suggest that many people believed this video was filmed in Rakhine.
"May Myanmar army troops win," one person commented.
Another wrote, "May our Tatmadaw succeed in all the wars."
However, this video was not filmed in Myanmar. AFP was able to geolocate the video to a market in Cambodia.
Keyword search of the TikTok handle seen in the clip led to a video published on January 26, 2024 by a user who regularly uploads videos in Khmer - the official language of Cambodia (archived link).
The same user has also published multiple videos from the same location (archived link).
Multiple billboards with Khmer language are visible in the video.
Using these visual clues, AFP was able to geolocate the video to Tram Kak market in Cambodia's Takeo province, located about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southwest of the capital Phnom Penh.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/video-cambodi ... 37390.html
1
1
Bringing the news. You stay classy, nas, Cambodia.
- Prahok
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 226
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:33 pm
I'm struggling to keep up with the pace of Junta township losses, however two significant towns fell yesterday; Loije, one of only five official border crossings to Yunnan in Kachin State fell to the Kachin Indepence Army (KIA), and Hpapun, a key town that sits between the territories of the Karenni and Karen forces has largely fallen to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).
With Loije taken, the KIA are in a position to move to Bhamo, the major city in Southern Kachin, and in doing so would be in a position to eject the Tatmadaw from the Eastern bank of the Irrawaddy in Kachin State. Their recent advances have resulted in the capture of several artillery pieces and ammunition and there is evidence the KIA acquired limited air-defence capabilities.
From what I understand, the KNLA ejected the Tatmadaw from Hpapun (which is situated at the head of a valley that runs all the way South to the Salween), and are in the process of assaulting a Tatmadaw base to the South of the town and on one of the valley walls (possibly to the South West).
With Loije taken, the KIA are in a position to move to Bhamo, the major city in Southern Kachin, and in doing so would be in a position to eject the Tatmadaw from the Eastern bank of the Irrawaddy in Kachin State. Their recent advances have resulted in the capture of several artillery pieces and ammunition and there is evidence the KIA acquired limited air-defence capabilities.
From what I understand, the KNLA ejected the Tatmadaw from Hpapun (which is situated at the head of a valley that runs all the way South to the Salween), and are in the process of assaulting a Tatmadaw base to the South of the town and on one of the valley walls (possibly to the South West).
- Phuket2006
- The Internet is my Friend
- Reactions: 101
- Posts: 6993
- Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:00 am
junta is losing and the longer that this goes on, the more they will lose<
needs to come to an end
needs to come to an end
"We are turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to Fear—fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, or suddenly getting locked up in a military detention camp on vague charges of being a Terrorist sympathizer." HST
- Prahok
- I Am Losing It All to the Internet
- Reactions: 226
- Posts: 1440
- Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:33 pm
The Karen National Liberation Army with the Peoples Defence Force reportedly yesterday took the HQ of the 275th Infantry Battalion at Thin Gan Nyinaung, which lies immediately West of Myawaddy on the main highway. Hpapun was a loss of prestige for the Junta (they took the town from the Karen in 1955), this is strategic.
The Arakan Army also yesterday took the HQ of the 564th Light Infantry Battalion, which lies North of Buthidaung; the last Tatmadaw base before the town (one of three towns the Junta still hold in Northern Rhakine, the other two being Maungdaw and Sittwe).
Also yesterday, the Kachin Indepence Army took the military positions at Han Htet (South of Momauk & Bhamo). The follows on from the success earlier in the week taking the large Tatmadaw base East of Momauk that the Junta held since the early 1960s. With bases to immediate North of Momauk and Bhamo taken earlier in the week, the Tatmadaw are squeezed in Southern Kachin.
Also yesterday Naypyidaw military airport, the Tatmadaw HQ and Min Aung Hlaing's residence in Naypyidaw were attacked in a large drone strike. It is unclear as to the level of material damage achieved (the Junta is rather reticent about releasing information), however the damage done to the Junta's sense of control is significant.
Julie Bishop, the former Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed UN Special Envoy for Myanmar.
The Arakan Army also yesterday took the HQ of the 564th Light Infantry Battalion, which lies North of Buthidaung; the last Tatmadaw base before the town (one of three towns the Junta still hold in Northern Rhakine, the other two being Maungdaw and Sittwe).
Also yesterday, the Kachin Indepence Army took the military positions at Han Htet (South of Momauk & Bhamo). The follows on from the success earlier in the week taking the large Tatmadaw base East of Momauk that the Junta held since the early 1960s. With bases to immediate North of Momauk and Bhamo taken earlier in the week, the Tatmadaw are squeezed in Southern Kachin.
Also yesterday Naypyidaw military airport, the Tatmadaw HQ and Min Aung Hlaing's residence in Naypyidaw were attacked in a large drone strike. It is unclear as to the level of material damage achieved (the Junta is rather reticent about releasing information), however the damage done to the Junta's sense of control is significant.
Julie Bishop, the former Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has been appointed UN Special Envoy for Myanmar.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Bronze statues in Myanmar from Angkor Wat
by Bong Burgundy » Sat May 16, 2020 5:26 am » in Cambodian History and Culture - 1 Replies
- 2444 Views
-
Last post by Steeeeeveeeeeeee
Sat May 16, 2020 11:16 am
-
-
-
Opium production in Myanmar surges to nine-year high
by Bong Burgundy » Fri Jan 27, 2023 7:47 am » in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Lao forums - 2 Replies
- 1086 Views
-
Last post by Night Owl
Wed Dec 13, 2023 3:49 pm
-
-
-
ASEAN goes ahead with naval exercise w/o Cambodia/Myanmar
by Sonic1 » Tue Jun 20, 2023 6:41 pm » in Cambodia News - 0 Replies
- 1278 Views
-
Last post by Sonic1
Tue Jun 20, 2023 6:41 pm
-
-
-
Myanmar hands over three junta-backed Chinese warlords to Beijing
by Bong Burgundy » Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:25 pm » in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Lao forums - 6 Replies
- 536 Views
-
Last post by Prahok
Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:40 am
-
-
-
GDP per capita animation for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam 1970-2019
by Lucky Lucan » Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:43 am » in Cambodia Speakeasy - 2 Replies
- 1110 Views
-
Last post by Cam-pooh-cheer
Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:08 am
-