More than 500 Myanmar opposition guerrillas surrendered to the junta, the military said, with AFP journalists witnessing a disarming ceremony that one resistance faction suggested was a propaganda stunt.
Myanmar has been consumed by a civil war since 2021, when the military swept aside the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup.
A kaleidoscope of rebel factions have entered the fray, including battalions of pro-democracy fighters formed after the putsch and ethnic minority armies which have long resisted central rule.
AFP journalists in central Mandalay city saw hundreds of personnel assembled on a military base in the grounds of the ancient Royal Palace yesterday before a table stacked with guns, bullets and weapon magazines.
“You went there because you didn’t know any better, but now you have regained your conscience,” head of Myanmar’s Central Command, Brigadier General Aung Htay, told the assembled ranks.
The mixed-gender ranks wore mismatched camouflaged and drab uniforms – many stamped with the logo of the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (PDF), considered one of the most powerful pro-democracy battalions.
“There is no case of our PDFs surrendering to the Myanmar military in those kinds of numbers,” a Mandalay PDF spokesman said, suggesting the event was for propaganda purposes.
“There are a few that surrender but it’s very rare they surrender with full uniforms and badges,” he added.
“We found out that some people are wearing our uniforms but we saw some mistakes in the way they’re being worn as the caps don’t match with the uniform.”
The military also permitted press interviews with the assembled personnel.
“I first joined them because I don’t like the regime and thought the revolution could win,” said one man, remaining anonymous for security reasons, adding that he was followed into the PDF by his wife and two daughters.
“Their leadership is very different from what we expected. That is why we came back,” said the 39-year-old.
While battalions dubbed the PDFs are fuelled by idealism to topple the junta, their most notable victories have come fighting alongside the more experienced ethnic minority armed groups. — AFP
