Two Karen armed groups linked to scam operations are sending thousands of fighters to reinforce Myanmar’s junta troops in Hpapun, intensifying a siege that has dragged on for nearly two years.

The Karen National Army (KNA), led by Colonel Saw Chit Thu and Major Saw Tin Win, and the Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KPC) are mobilising reinforcements after heavy casualties among regime forces. Both groups have long been allied with the military, operating along the Thai-Myanmar border.

The KNA, formerly the junta-aligned Border Guard Force, rebranded in January after the regime destroyed scam compounds in Shwe Kokko and KK Park. Locals claim the crackdown was staged, with operations quietly relocated in coordination with the military.

In Hpapun, BGF units and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army have fought alongside junta troops since KNLA-led forces seized key bases in March 2024. The siege of Hpapun’s operational command has continued ever since, with clashes flaring again this month.

Karen commanders warn that the influx of reinforcements will escalate fighting.

“Casualties on both sides will rise,” said Captain Ko James of the KNLA. “Saw Chit Thu, Tin Win, and the KPC combined have significant manpower, and their troops know the terrain well.”

Military sources report that reinforcements are now arriving by river and jungle routes after repeated ambushes on the main road. Thousands of fighters have massed in villages near Hpapun, though they have yet to advance.

The junta’s push in Karen State follows last year’s recapture of the Asian Highway between Kawkareik and Myawaddy, a vital trade route with Thailand. That operation, dubbed Aung Zeya, was led by deputy junta chief Soe Win and relied heavily on KNA support.

The KPC and DKBA both broke away from the Karen National Union decades ago, later aligning with the military. Their renewed mobilisation underscores how splinter groups continue to shape the conflict, often blurring the line between armed politics and criminal enterprise.

For Myanmar’s embattled civilians, the prospect of thousands more troops entering the fight means only one thing: more violence, more displacement, and little sign of peace on the horizon.

-2026-02-19

There is no doubt that the junta and the generals are involved in the scam centers and earning billions of dollars a year from them, so there's about a 99% chance that the attacks were staged and completely fake news. There is simply too much money at stake and the moral bankruptcy is too absolute for them to have actually done the right thing.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

There is no doubt that the junta and the generals are involved in the scam centers and earning billions of dollars a year from them

Producing meth as well.

6 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Producing meth as well.

Meth, heroine, human and sex trafficking, illegal old growth timber sales, the illegal gem trade, absolutely anything to make another billion or so.

23 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Meth, heroine, human and sex trafficking, illegal old growth timber sales, the illegal gem trade, absolutely anything to make another billion or so.

Yes. The jade slaves working in the mines there is a terrible thing.

If only Myanmar had oil, the west would have liberated the people decades ago, for a price, of course, however, no oil in Myanmar.

That's the price of freedom, your country's natural resources that the west want.