• Burmese
Friday, May 16, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

KNU Appoints New Commander

Saw Yan Naing by Saw Yan Naing
October 4, 2012
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
KNU Appoints New Commander

Standing beneath Martyrs Day decorations at a jungle base in KNLA Brigade 5 in 2009

7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The commander of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 5, Brig-Gen Baw Kyaw Heh, has been appointed as acting commander-in-chief of the KNLA following the dismissal of Gen Mutu Say Poe on Wednesday, according to sources close to the Karen rebels.

The KNLA’s political wing, the Karen National Union (KNU), dismissed Mutu Say Poe by letter along with two central committee members, David Taw and Roger Khin, for repeatedly violating KNU protocol, according to KNU official Say Say who added that an official appointment will be made during the next regular military meeting.

KNU joint-secretary 2, Daw Lay Mu, will reportedly take over David Taw’s position in the Justice Department.

RelatedPosts

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

May 15, 2025
621
Myanmar Junta Leader Scores Diplomatic Win With Xi Meeting in Moscow

Myanmar Junta Leader Scores Diplomatic Win With Xi Meeting in Moscow

May 15, 2025
308
‘Children Torn in Two’: Witness Describes Myanmar Junta’s School Massacre

‘Children Torn in Two’: Witness Describes Myanmar Junta’s School Massacre

May 15, 2025
198

KNU sources said that the letter dismissing Mutu Say Poe, David Taw and Roger Khin was signed by joint-secretary 1 Hla Ngwe and 10 other central committee members.

Mutu Say Poe led a faction of the KNU last week to Karen State capital Pa-an where they allegedly opened a liaison office in collusion with the Burmese government without informing the KNU central committee.

KNU sources said that Mutu Say Poe and his followers have ignored several meetings called by the central committee which is currently led by General-Secretary Zipporah Sein.

Reports suggest that Mutu Say Poe and his followers have deliberately ignored the KNU central committee’s requests and are engaged in a move to split from the organization. A Karen military source estimated that Mutu Say Poe will garner support from KNLA Brigades 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7, while Brigades 2 and 5 will stand loyal with the KNU central committee. The seven KNLA brigades command an estimated 10,000 fighters in total.

Observers at the Thai-Burmese border speculated that the split in the KNU’s ranks would result in a north-south divide: a northern faction in Karen State led by Baw Kyaw Heh, and a southern faction commanded by Mutu Say Poe.

Due to the internal conflict, some local sources mentioned that the KNU might well postpone its 15th congress which was scheduled to be held this month when a fresh leadership would be elected.

Dissent and disagreement among the Karen leadership heightened in early September after the third round of peace talks with a Burmese government delegation. Some of the Karen representatives were accused of rushing into a peace deal while others were accused of being too cautious and inflexible.

One observer who accompanied the KNU peace delegation several times at peace talks said that the government delegation never showed any sincere signs of wanting to settle the six-decade-long conflict with the Karen rebels. Instead, he said, “they simply wanted to open business opportunities and development projects.”

He said that the government delegation, led by then Railways Minister Aung Min, favored the quick resettlement of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees from Thai-Burmese border camps, and were “very sly” about meeting the KNU’s political and military demands with business opportunities.

Founded in 1947, the KNU has been fighting one of the world’s longest civil wars in a quest for autonomy. Following Burma’s independence from British colonizers in 1948, it formed an armed wing, the KNLA, a year later and went to war with the central Burmese government.

Your Thoughts …
Saw Yan Naing

Saw Yan Naing

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
97.9k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
88.5k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
86.9k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
58.8k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.6k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.4k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Gun Find Prompts Port Inquiry

Gun Find Prompts Port Inquiry

The Balkanization of Karen State

The Balkanization of Karen State

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

2 days ago
1k
Silence Is Complicity in the Myanmar Junta’s Massacre of Children

Silence Is Complicity in the Myanmar Junta’s Massacre of Children

2 days ago
658

Most Read

  • Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Resistance Briefly Captures Junta Battalion HQ in Bago

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Soft Soil, Old Buildings and Junta Rule: How Yangon Became a Seismic Timebomb

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Death Toll From Myanmar Junta Airstrike on School Rises to 24

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.