The terrorist military council issued an announcement yesterday evening calling for PDF members to ‘enter the light’ (surrender). In the announcement, they falsely accused ethnic armed organizations of using PDFs as pawns and sacrificing PDF members’ lives for territorial expansion. The military council deliberately attempted to create division by claiming that CRPH and NUG established PDF groups and placed them under certain EAOs to obtain weapons and ammunition.
The military council continues to use false claims of election fraud to justify their coup, accusing others of attempting to seize state power by force under Article 417 of the Constitution. They provided excuses claiming that after removing President Win Myint on personal criminal charges, the acting president declared a state of emergency and transferred state power to the military chief under the constitution.
The military council stated that due to cooperation from neighboring countries, it has become difficult for ethnic armed groups to halt operations, causing more hardship for PDFs. They accused armed resistance of setting back democracy, claiming that CRPH and NUG chose armed struggle only to maintain their position as an elected government. The announcement stated they would welcome armed groups, including PDFs, if they wish to build a democratic federal union after the upcoming election.
A journalist still residing in Yangon analyzed that this announcement aims to create divisions between PDFs and EAOs, PDFs and NUG, and PDFs and CRPH. He noted that the military’s second such announcement indirectly acknowledges the damage being inflicted by young Bamar PDF members’ armed resistance against the military. The fact that they issued a second announcement proves the failure of their first attempt to convince fighters to surrender. The journalist observed that young people now have limited options – either flee abroad or join the armed revolution against the military regime.
