Karen Border Guard Force’s Fighter Wounded in Rakhine State, Myanmar

Second right is Maj Mouk Thone and second left is Zaybabo Khin Shwe meeting in Bangkok in May last week

Karen Border Guard Force’s Fighter Wounded in Rakhine State, Myanmar

June 1, 2019. Sittway

Local villagers reported that one of the Karen fighters, who worn Myanmar army uniform of LID 11, 

was captured by Arakan Army during the fight near Yawtayoke village, Pannaygun township, on May 30.

The captive Karen fighter after interrogated by AA members found out he was a member of Myawaddy based BGF, splinter group of Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).  

News of Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s request of 1,000 fighters from BGF has been circulated on local and social media since May.

In connection with the top bass request, the leaders of BGF held a secret meeting in Myawadday on May 1.  Commander Gen Htin Maung Htoo, Bo Chit Thu, and Bo Mouk Thone participated in the meeting at their headquarter in Karen State. The meeting reaffirmed the BGF would sent more troops to Rakhine State.

Rakhine villagers have been noticing unusual and irregular fighters with accents who have been seen in Rakhine State for several months along with the Myanmar army fighters.

According to close sources to BGF, 400 troops have been deploying in Rakhine frontlines under the command of LID 11 and 22 since March.

Local people reported 60 fighters of BGF were wounded, and 15 men were already killed during the fights with AA for last a couple of months.

The local people started to notice they could not speak neither Burmese nor Rakhine while they were buying groceries at local markets. Some wounded men also told nurses at local hospitals they were from Karen state.

Since then the local people talked and posted their encounters on social media.

Related to this news of BGF presences in Rakhine state, some photos of Indian looked and very rough men with long hairs who were called as tough army officers by some military supporters Facebook were appeared on online for several months ago.

Some speculators wrote these men must be from Indian army that was helping Myanmar army. But these leaks of photos are in fact from BGF troops who have already been Rakhine State.

Very recently, a Myanmar business man known as Zaykabar Khin Shwe, who is supporter of Myanmar, and BGF commander Major Mouk Thone met in Bangkok. The meeting, many close observers, is believed to be funded to BGF troops via business rewards by Myanmar army.

These news of BGF presences in Rakhine State has been circulated for several weeks on local news and social media, but none of the sources of Myanmar army and BGF itself has yet revealed about it, nor further independent verification was disclosed.

Zaykabar Khin Shwe on the far left and Maj Mouk Thone on far right meeting in Bangkok in May last week