More than 3,000 homes have been set on fire since the military coup
As of February 4, 2022, a total of 3,379 houses had been burnt down by the military council in 126 townships in nine divisions and states since the military coup.
Sagaing Division was the largest, with more than 1,400 houses set on fire, according to data released by Data for Myanmar, a group that studies the aftermath of Burma's political and military conflict. The second largest is Chin State with 976 houses; 585 units in Magway Division; In Kayah State, 301 houses were burnt down.
The list is based on information gathered by the group, and the number of homes burned is likely to be higher as there may still be unaccounted for cases. Following the military coup, armed groups have been fighting across the country with all available weapons. Chin State The military council is trying to use force in Kayah State and upper Magway Division.
As of January 31, more than 400 houses were destroyed in Mwe Ton and Pan Ywa, Pale Township, Sagaing Division. On February 1, 94 houses were set on fire in Thantlang. RFA reports that the junta set fire to Kaing Dwin and Hlawkar villages in Pearl Township around midnight on February 4 and is still investigating.
A military council spokesman, General Zaw Min Tun, denied any wrongdoing on the burning of civilian homes across the country.
Political analysts say the military council is pursuing a "scorched-earth policy" to destroy homes and buildings in enemy-held territory.
Within a year of the coup, the army structure was damaged
Since the military coup took place on February 1, 2021, fighting between the People's Defense Forces and members of the military council has been going on in various parts of the country since June.
As the National Unity Government publishes a daily list of fighting and casualties, the death toll from the military council ranges from hundreds to thousands each month.
As of January 2022, nearly 580 military council members were killed, and between November 7 and December 6 last year, 1,155 people were killed, according to NUG.
Capt. Lin Htet Aung, a member of the anti-authoritarian movement CDM, believes that the military council's territorial control and combat forces are weakening.
"The infantry force is very weak," he said. As a result, we have to say that their control of the deployment area has been severely affected. With such a large force, it can be said that most of the army's combat units have been reduced. Even if one person falls in an army, that person's ability is greatly reduced. In recent days, at least 100 troops have been able to advance to the front lines. "As a result, if ten people are killed, the structure of a unit will be completely destroyed."
According to NUG's daily statistics, between June 1, 2021 and February 3, 2022, a total of nearly 6,000 people were killed by the military council. According to the anti-government movement CDM and retired members of the military, there are armed forces under the Ministry of Defense. police, With 500,000 firefighters, the death toll now accounts for more than 1 percent of the army's armed forces.
Army officials involved in the CDM movement point out that 1 percent of all troops are large, but in terms of military strength, that number is large.
Since the regular force of one division is close to 800, the list of more than 6,000 casualties is more than 7 divisions.
"From the military point of view, it is very scary," he said. We know that this is why soldiers in some areas are afraid to go to war. According to the true numbers, this force is very large. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. "
Captain Nyi Thuta, who is involved in the CDM movement, said.
The military council's deputy information minister, General Zaw Min Tun, has denied any criticism of the number of casualties during the one-year coup.
"This is what they said," he said. Even if they say that there are many military casualties, anyone who wants to believe can believe it. I have nothing special to say about it. I just want to say one thing. The Tatmadaw is committed to the people of Burma. Myanmar To protect Myanmar's sovereignty "I just want to say we have enough talent."
The Pentagon has denied the allegations, but said it was "retiring" from the US Department of Defense. Dr. Mimi Winbert, who is also a professor at the Hawaii-based Asia-Pacific Department for Security Studies, believes the military's military situation is deteriorating.
"It can be said that the ground situation of the Tatmadaw is very fragmented," he said. In total, six thousand. Seven thousand have been killed. Because of this, soldiers in the army, The women of the generals were also ordered to take up arms. The children's drawings are also evidence of that. There are no people in them. Inside, there was no trust between the generals and the soldiers. Such an organization can never be effective. The main thing is the spirit. They are depressed. PDF has the advantage of being very tense. ”
At the same time, Dr. Mimi Winbert notes that the Armed Forces's PDF attack capabilities have increased.
Capt. Nyi Thuta added that while the military council was in need of new troops due to the heavy casualties in the fighting, there were large numbers of people joining the People's Defense Forces.
"The military council is collecting a lot of money," he said. There are so many people on the PDF side that some people are frustrated that they can't fight. In terms of strength, it differs by hundreds of thousands. "But on the PDF side, there is little difficulty in obtaining mass weapons."
The ethnic armed groups point out that the current clashes are between the entire population and the Tatmadaw, unlike previous clashes between the ethnic groups and the Tatmadaw, which have resulted in more casualties without access to information from locals.
"They have completely lost access to information," he said. As a result, there is pain in every battle wherever you go. We used to talk all the time. In a major battle, it is extremely difficult for a battalion commander to fall. This Burmese army. But at that moment, a battalion commander dropped by for a moment. It's falling apart. "The fighting ability of the Burmese army has nothing to do with it."
This is what Pado Saw Taw Ni, the KNU's foreign affairs officer, said.
On the other hand, in the one year since the military coup, more than 2,000 soldiers have joined the anti-authoritarian movement.
Defense experts say the military's ability to fight is likely to decline in the long run as the people oppose the military coup in a variety of ways.