Myanmar’s people’s defense forces (PDF) and other resistance fighters have rejected junta proposals to lay down arms and join them, saying they will never surrender to killers.
In a June 11 announcement, the regime asked resistance fighters to surrender and return to civilian lives, saying they will be “welcomed” to rejoin society.
The junta has not been able to control the country since the February 2021 coup.
Resistance groups and urban guerrilla forces said they will continue the revolution until the end.
Taungoo PDF said in a June 12 statement that it will never lay down arms for a murderous regime which brutally tortures, kills and burns its comrades if they are caught while regime troops are treated properly under the parallel National Unity Government’s (NUG) guidelines.
“There is no reason to return to the regime and let it enslave us. We would like to invite those who are calling us to lay down arms back to turn to the people’s embrace,” it said.
Bo Thanmani of Khin-U PDF in Sagaing Region told The Irrawaddy that the request showed the junta was suffering heavily.
“They are starting to realize they can’t beat us,” he said.
Bo Thanmani said resistance groups will never accept junta calls.
“We have sacrificed a lot. Many lives have been lost. We will never stop until we win,” he added.
The junta declared the NUG and its armed wing, the PDFs, terrorist organizations and has refused to consider talks.
It has vowed to eliminate the PDFs and all other opponents of its rule. However, the announcement did not refer to the PDFs as “terrorist groups”, as it has previously.
The announcement blamed the NUG and its parliamentary committee for launching the armed resistance movement.
After the junta began killing peaceful protesters, activists took up arms in late March last year.
On Sept. 7, the NUG declared a “people’s war” against the regime to root out military rule, taking the armed struggle against the junta to another level.
According to the NUG’s defense ministry, 259 PDFs have been formed with approximately 80,000 to 100,000 members. There are also around 250 township-based forces and 400 guerrilla forces and most are in contact with the NUG, according to the shadow government.
