Karen medics, Wiki

 

Myanmar’s military government has formally designated the Karen National Union (KNU) a terrorist organisation, intensifying its crackdown on opposition just four months before national elections scheduled for 28 December.

 

The move criminalises virtually all contact with the KNU and its affiliates, including nonviolent political activity. State-run MRTV announced the decision Thursday night, citing “serious losses of public security, lives and property” allegedly caused by the group. A separate notice declared the KNU unlawful, making any association with it punishable under anti-terror laws.

 

The KNU, one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic rebel groups, has fought for greater autonomy since independence in 1948. It has been a key player in the armed resistance since the military coup of February 2021, which ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The group has vowed to disrupt the upcoming elections, which critics say are designed to legitimise the junta’s rule.

 

The military’s messaging was underscored by repeated broadcasts of a 1947 quote from Aung San, Myanmar’s independence hero and Suu Kyi’s father, warning of severe punishment for those who interfere with the electoral process.

 

The designation comes amid escalating civil conflict, with the KNU’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, actively training urban youth and engaging junta forces in Kayin (Karen) state. The group has also refused to participate in peace talks, demanding the military’s withdrawal from politics and the establishment of federal democracy.

 

Last month, the junta passed an election law imposing the death penalty under certain conditions for disrupting the polls. The dissolution of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy has further fuelled concerns over the legitimacy of the vote.

 

With Myanmar’s border regions engulfed in conflict and opposition groups boycotting the process, the terrorist label appears aimed at silencing dissent and tightening control ahead of a deeply contested election.

 

 

-2025-08-29

The Karen fought with the allies against the nippers but old Churchill put the Rangoon gang in charge after the war and that has always been the problem.