Latest news with #Demoso
CNA
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Myanmar junta claims town captured, expanding election reach
YANGON: Myanmar's junta said on Wednesday (Aug 20) its troops had captured a key town in the east after a 16-day battle, clawing back rebel-contested territory as it prepares for a disputed December election. Demoso, 105 kilometres east of the capital Naypyidaw, has witnessed intense fighting since the military's overthrow of the democratic government in 2021 sparked a civil war. The embattled junta plans to hold elections in areas it controls starting on December 28, and has been pressing a series of counter-offensives to expand the territory it holds. The polls have been criticised by international monitors as a tactic to rebrand the rule of the military, which has kept democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi jailed since ousting her. State mouthpiece newspaper, the Global New Light of Myanmar, said the military captured Demoso township - encompassing the town and surrounding countryside - after a 16-day battle that ended on Tuesday. However, one resident said there was still a constant drumbeat of gunfire, heavy weapons and air strikes and denied that the military had total command of the area. "The fighting is close and I'm always afraid in my heart whenever I hear explosions," said 26-year-old Moe Moe. "We are very worried, especially in the night-time as we can't sleep." "If they actually controlled this area, we would see them in person, but there are none now near us," she said. The Global New Light of Myanmar said six bodies were recovered after pro-democracy guerrillas and fighters from ethnic armed organisations in the area were driven out. "Some of the security force members were wounded and deceased," it said, without giving further details. MORE THAN 130,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED FROM KAYAH STATE A photo showed junta soldiers posing with their rifles aloft in front of a sign reading: "You are warmly welcomed to Demoso." More than 130,000 people have been displaced in the state of Kayah, where Demoso sits on the crossroads of two highways branching off from the main route linking Naypyidaw and the commercial capital Yangon. The junta-organised election will be held in phases and is expected to take weeks. Conflict monitors say the run-up is likely to see a further spike in violence as the junta attempts to expand the reach of the vote into enclaves controlled by its opponents. A junta-organised census, held as preparation for the election, failed to contact nearly four out of 10 people in the country of more than 50 million, indicating how limited the poll might be. Some democratic lawmakers ousted in the coup have called for a boycott, while Suu Kyi's immensely popular National League for Democracy party has been dissolved. "The terrorist military group is attempting to stage an illegitimate and fraudulent election to sustain its grip on power," the National Unity Government, a self-proclaimed administration in exile, said in a statement.
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Myanmar's military retakes a strategic town 2 years after the resistance captured it
Army soldiers pose in front of the sign for the town of Demoso in Myanmar's eastern state of Kayah, which the military government claimed to have recaptured from resistance forces on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 (Myanmar Military via AP) BANGKOK — Myanmar 's military has regained control of a strategic town in eastern Kayah state from the opposition's armed forces after nearly two years, state media reported Wednesday. The recapture of Demoso in Kayah state — also known as Karenni — came as the military has stepped up activity in recent months, on the ground and with airstrikes, to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of elections it has promised to hold on Dec. 28. Demoso, located about 110 kilometres (70 miles) east of the capital Naypyitaw, has been a focal point for Myanmar's civil war since the military took power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The town had been under the control of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, or KNDF, and allied resistance forces in Kayah since the groups launched joint offensives against army bases in the state in November 2023. A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Wednesday said Demoso, near the state's capital of Loikow, was captured by the army on Tuesday after 16 days of operations to retake it. The report said six bodies and five weapons were seized, adding that some members of the security forces were also killed. The newspaper published photos of soldiers who recaptured the town in front of the hospital, fire department and town hall. The KNDF and other local resistance groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement posted Monday on Facebook, the KNDF accused the military of carrying out unlawful arrests of civilians, deliberate shootings and killings without cause and the use of civilians as human shields in attacking Demoso. Kayah, the smallest of Myanmar's seven states and dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority, has experienced intense conflict. The provisional government formed by resistance groups in Kayah, including the KNDF, said Monday that at least 32 civilians were killed, five were wounded and several were missing after the military on Sunday bombed a hospital in the town of Mawchi, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Demoso. In a separate incident, an airstrike killed at least 21 people Thursday in the town of Mogok, the center of the Southeast Asian country's gem mining industry, according to reports in Myanmar's independent online media. The army has not mentioned the strikes and usually says it only attacks legitimate targets of war, accusing the resistance forces of being terrorists. The Associated Press
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Myanmar's military retakes a strategic town 2 years after the resistance captured it
Myanmar 's military has regained control of a strategic town in eastern Kayah state from the opposition's armed forces after nearly two years, state media reported Wednesday. The recapture of Demoso in Kayah state — also known as Karenni — came as the military has stepped up activity in recent months, on the ground and with airstrikes, to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of elections it has promised to hold on Dec. 28. Demoso, located about 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of the capital Naypyitaw, has been a focal point for Myanmar's civil war since the military took power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The town had been under the control of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, or KNDF, and allied resistance forces in Kayah since the groups launched joint offensives against army bases in the state in November 2023. A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Wednesday said Demoso, near the state's capital of Loikow, was captured by the army on Tuesday after 16 days of operations to retake it. The report said six bodies and five weapons were seized, adding that some members of the security forces were also killed. The newspaper published photos of soldiers who recaptured the town in front of the hospital, fire department and town hall. The KNDF and other local resistance groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement posted Monday on Facebook, the KNDF accused the military of carrying out unlawful arrests of civilians, deliberate shootings and killings without cause and the use of civilians as human shields in attacking Demoso. Kayah, the smallest of Myanmar's seven states and dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority, has experienced intense conflict. The provisional government formed by resistance groups in Kayah, including the KNDF, said Monday that at least 32 civilians were killed, five were wounded and several were missing after the military on Sunday bombed a hospital in the town of Mawchi, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Demoso. In a separate incident, an airstrike killed at least 21 people Thursday in the town of Mogok, the center of the Southeast Asian country's gem mining industry, according to reports in Myanmar's independent online media. The army has not mentioned the strikes and usually says it only attacks legitimate targets of war, accusing the resistance forces of being terrorists.
Associated Press
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Myanmar's military retakes a strategic town 2 years after the resistance captured it
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar 's military has regained control of a strategic town in eastern Kayah state from the opposition's armed forces after nearly two years, state media reported Wednesday. The recapture of Demoso in Kayah state — also known as Karenni — came as the military has stepped up activity in recent months, on the ground and with airstrikes, to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of elections it has promised to hold on Dec. 28. Demoso, located about 110 kilometers (70 miles) east of the capital Naypyitaw, has been a focal point for Myanmar's civil war since the military took power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The town had been under the control of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, or KNDF, and allied resistance forces in Kayah since the groups launched joint offensives against army bases in the state in November 2023. A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Wednesday said Demoso, near the state's capital of Loikow, was captured by the army on Tuesday after 16 days of operations to retake it. The report said six bodies and five weapons were seized, adding that some members of the security forces were also killed. The newspaper published photos of soldiers who recaptured the town in front of the hospital, fire department and town hall. The KNDF and other local resistance groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a statement posted Monday on Facebook, the KNDF accused the military of carrying out unlawful arrests of civilians, deliberate shootings and killings without cause and the use of civilians as human shields in attacking Demoso. Kayah, the smallest of Myanmar's seven states and dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority, has experienced intense conflict. The provisional government formed by resistance groups in Kayah, including the KNDF, said Monday that at least 32 civilians were killed, five were wounded and several were missing after the military on Sunday bombed a hospital in the town of Mawchi, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Demoso. In a separate incident, an airstrike killed at least 21 people Thursday in the town of Mogok, the center of the Southeast Asian country's gem mining industry, according to reports in Myanmar's independent online media. The army has not mentioned the strikes and usually says it only attacks legitimate targets of war, accusing the resistance forces of being terrorists.
