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| Soldiers of the Karen National Union stand guard in Kaw Thoo Lei, Kayin state, Myanmar, Jan 31, 2019. (File photo: REUTERS/Ann Wang) |
BANGKOK: A prominent ethnic rebel group in
Myanmar suspended one of its key leaders this week, a spokesman said on
Saturday (Jul 9), as it investigates an alleged massacre of civilians on its
territory.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since a February
coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, sparking huge protests among
civilians and renewing clashes between the military and ethnic rebel armies in
its border regions.
The Karen National Union (KNU) - one of
Myanmar's largest rebel groups in its east which have tussled with the military
for decades - has been locked in renewed conflict with the army since the coup.
In May, state-run media accused fighters from
one of the group's armed wings, the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO),
of a May 31 massacre of 25 construction workers - an allegation KNU has said it
will investigate.
Spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee confirmed on
Saturday that KNDO's head General Ner Dah Bo Mya and his subordinate Lieutenant
Saw Ba Wah have been "suspended temporarily".
"According to the Geneva Conventions, even
if they are our enemies, we just arrest them, you cannot kill like that,"
he said.
"We stand firmly on our commitment to the
Geneva Conventions and the international community, and we have to deal with
this carefully."
The decision - made on Monday by KNU leaders -
will likely sow discord within the rebel group, whose political divisions over
the handling of the junta have spilled out in recent months to the public.
But Padoh Saw Taw Nee defended the suspension as
"part of our procedures".
General Ner Dah Bo Mya could not be reached for
comment.
Myanmar's border regions are a patchwork of
territories and alliances held by more than two dozen rebel groups, most of
whom have fought with the military for more autonomy and resources.
Since the coup, the KNU has clashed sporadically
with the Myanmar military along the Thai border.
In March its fighters seized a military post and
the army retaliated with air raids, the first in more than 20 years in Karen
state.
The group has also condemned the military for
the power grab, and provided shelter to dissidents working to oust the State
Administration Council - as the junta has dubbed itself.
Nearly 890 people have been killed by the
junta's security forces since Feb 1, according to a local monitoring group.
Source: AFP/DV
