Nearly 200 junta-appointed local administrators have been killed in targeted attacks in the nine months since the military’s coup, while another 135 have been wounded, according to regime-controlled media.
Armed resistance to the military regime began in late March with civilian groups using homemade and traditional firearms to fight back against the junta’s brutal crackdowns and raids on peaceful anti-coup protesters, striking civil servants, and any opponents of military rule.
Since then, administration offices in villages, wards and townships have been torched and bombed by civilian resistance fighters to prevent the regime from governing the country. These local offices are the primary elements of the government administrative system in Myanmar.
Junta-appointed ward and village administrators have also been targeted for collaborating with the regime, along with informants.
On Tuesday, regime newspapers stated that 328 junta-appointed administrators, mostly from Mandalay, Sagaing and Yangon Regions, had been attacked since the February coup.
193 of them were killed in attacks involving firearms, bombs, stabbings and beatings, while the rest were injured.
People’s Defense Forces (PDF) around the country have warned regime-appointed ward and village administrators to stop working for the junta or risk the consequences. Last month, as clashes between junta forces and PDFs spiked, mass resignations of local administrators were reported.
At the same time, the military regime has also escalated its terror campaign against the resistance movement with arbitrary arrests, torture and killings.
At least 1,286 civilians have been killed by junta forces since the coup including children, students, pro-democracy protesters, politicians and striking civil servants. Over 10,000 people have been detained, according to rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
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