Myanmar's anti-junta groups have dismissed the military junta’s recent offer of peace talks as a ploy to distract from its weakening hold on the country.
The junta’s proposal, issued on Thursday, called for the ethnic groups to cease their “terrorist” activities and prepare for a general election scheduled for next year, Irrawaddy reports.
However, just hours after the offer, junta airstrikes targeted the northern Shan State capital, Lashio, killing two civilians in the market and residential areas. The strikes took place in the city, which was liberated in August by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) after a month of heavy fighting.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) dismissed the junta’s peace initiative as unrealistic.
“The idea that armed groups should abandon their struggle and participate in elections is completely unrealistic. At a time when they are losing territory and facing military defeat, this move is aimed at boosting their troops’ morale,” said Lway Yay Oo, spokeswoman for the TNLA.
She further stressed that the junta should be the one to disarm, noting that the military uses its weapons daily to oppress and bomb civilians.
Similarly, the Karenni State Interim Executive Council, which governs the anti-regime forces in Karenni State, rejected the junta’s overture, branding it a self-serving strategy.
U Maung Maung Swe, spokesperson for the National Unity Government (NUG),’s defense ministry, described the junta’s offer as a desperate attempt to avoid defeat and stated it would be ignored by resistance forces.
Further criticism came from the Chin National Army’s spokesman, Salai Htet Ni, who accused the junta of manipulating both the domestic population and the international community.
“The 2021 coup abolished all political processes, and no election could be held in Chin State where 80% of the territory is liberated,” he said. He added that the junta’s offer was nothing more than an effort to deceive the international community.
The Karen National Union (KNU) spokesperson Padoh Saw Taw Nee insisted that negotiations could only occur if the military agreed to stay out of politics, adopt a federal democratic constitution, and be held accountable for war crimes. “If they don’t agree with these terms, then nothing will happen. We will keep putting pressure on them politically and militarily,” he told AFP.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s junta has continued its aerial assaults on civilian targets in Lashio.
Early Monday morning, junta fighter jets dropped three 500-pound bombs on residential areas, causing significant damage to civilian homes and severely injuring one resident.
According to the Lashio Reconstruction Group, the attacks are part of the military’s strategy to intimidate civilians in areas controlled by resistance forces.
Last Friday, 15 bombs, including 500- and 200-pound explosives, were dropped on Lashio’s market and nearby residential areas, killing two civilians and wounding six others, including a pregnant woman.
