Myanmar Army Losing Control of Burma Proper

                     (Based on Burmese posts from The FACEBOOK in March-April 2022.)

MAH calling ceasefire by May-9.

Despite their brutal suppression of people’s resistance Myanmar Army is rapidly losing control of most of Burma Proper the homeland of most ethnic Burmese. PDF (the NLD’s armed resistance forces) and ethnic rebels are now controlling more than half of Myanmar formerly known as Burma.

For example in the Sagaing Division and Chin State formerly controlled absolutely by the 300-odd infantry battalions of North Western Military Division (Na-Ma-Kha) the Myanmar Army has already lost all the Burmese and Chin villages and minor towns. In the State and Divisional capital cities, Monywa and Hakha, the soldiers do not even dare to go outside of their fortified battalion compounds.

The reserves are being depleted rapidly by continuous fighting all over the country and the frontline battalions are having no rest or recuperation for  over a year now. Morale is so low that  thousands and thousands of Myanmar soldiers are deserting and/or joining the enemies.

US Depleting Javelin Missiles by Ukraine War

          (Dipaneeta Das’s article from the REPUBLICWORLD on 14 April 2022.) 

US Facing Shortage Of Javelin Anti-tank Missiles Post Supplies To Ukraine: With about one-third of its Javelin inventory now sent to Ukraine, the US is on the edge of the running of stock of the "iconic weapon", say experts. Here's why!

As the all-out Russian war entered day 50, the US on Wednesday bolstered assistance to war-torn Ukraine with additional military aid in artillery, helicopters, and more. Since the inception of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the US has already supplied Kyiv with thousands of anti-tank Javelin missiles.

With about one-third of its Javelin inventory now sent to Ukraine, Washington is on the edge of running out of the "iconic weapon," thus requiring the US to immediately reduce transfers to ensure sufficient stockpiles for its own purpose.

Blood Teak: From Myanmar to Europe

                       (Staff article from The OXPECKERS on 08 April 2022.)

From Myanmar to the EU, the path of a ‘bloodstained’ resource: European Union member states imported more than €22-million worth of timber from Myanmar in 2021 – and nearly €8-million after sanctions were imposed on the military junta in June.  

Myanmar’s forests are dying. The Southeast Asian nation lost four million hectares of forest cover – an area the size of Switzerland – between 2001 and 2020, according to the Global Forest Watch. These Myanmar forests are full of tree species sought after by loggers, mainly teak, a hardwood resistant to both water and pests that is highly prized in the shipping industry.

“A luxury yacht without Burmese teak is like a party without champagne,” says a player in the logging industry, which every year generates about $100-million in taxes and more than $300-million in revenue in Myanmar, according to the most recent report from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1 2021, the “champagne” has been flowing for the  junta. In addition to lucrative natural resources such as gas and oil, the military has taken control of Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), the state-owned company that exploits Myanmar’s forests on an exclusive basis. Whether the timber is legal or not, no one really knows: its traceability has always been an issue.

Battalion Commanders Deserting Myanmar Army

             (Based on staff articles from Burmese Facebook Pages in March-April 2022.)

A few commanders and deputy-commanders of light infantry battalions are deserting their field posts and joining either ethnic rebels or NUG-controlled PDFs in coup-ravaged Myanmar. The resent desertions have been causing sleepless nights for the mad man MAH, the Myanmar Army Chief.

Just last March, Major Tin Lin Aung the deputy commander of Boat-pyinn based LIB-585 surrendered to the KNLA (Karen National Liberation Army) forces in the Lay-kay-kaw region in Myawaddy Township on Thai-Burma border. His battalion has been fighting KNLA there for weeks now since last February. He brought one MA-3 and one MA-1 assault rifles and a pistol along with him.

He declared in the press interview immediately after his surrender that mad army chief MAH is sacrificing the lives and limbs of Myanmar Army soldiers by treating the people of Burma as enemies because they overwhelmingly reject his power-grab from the legitimately-elected ASSK Government.

He said he is a soldier and previously his fights were only the military affairs but since last February his fights are turning into a political fight to keep the power in the hands of MAH and his generals who have been benefitting handsomely while soldiers like him are losing faith in their brutally oppressive army.

JFK: Surgeon’s Sketch Suggests Two Shooters?

              (Staff article from the NEW YORK POST on 21 June 2017.) 

Surgeon’s sketch suggests 2 gunmen killed JFK: A fascinating drawing by the surgeon who tried to save John F. Kennedy’s life could sensationally prove Kennedy was shot by two different gunmen.

Dr. Robert McClelland held JFK’s head as he went into theater at Parkland Hospital after he was gunned down while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible in 1963. Nothing could be done to save the President and he died, aged just 46, 20 minutes after arrival, sparking an unprecedented outpouring of grief across America.

McClelland later drew a rudimentary sketch of the right side of Kennedy’s head and noted the entrance and exit wounds of the bullets, supposedly fired by lone assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. The surgeon noted two different entrance wounds – one low in the neck and one at his hairline – which crucially came from different directions, suggesting there were two separate shooters.

Mad Myanmar Army Outlaws US Dollar?

                      (Staff article from THE DIPLOMAT on 05 April 2022.)

Myanmar’s Military Junta Tightens Control Over Foreign Currency Flows: Under new central bank rules, all local holders of foreign currency will have to convert them to Myanmar kyats.

Myanmar’s military administration is moving to tighten its control over movements of foreign currency, as the country’s economy reels from mounting nationwide conflict and the accumulated effect of Western sanctions. In a notification published in state media on Monday, the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) ordered banks and other holders of foreign currency to convert these deposits into the local kyat currency.

According to the notification, foreign exchange earned by locals in Myanmar must be deposited in accounts at licensed banks and exchanged for kyats within the unrealistic timeline of one working day. The central bank said that absent a special exemption, transfers of foreign currency abroad can only be carried out via licensed Foreign Exchange Trading banks. It added that “failure to comply with this notice will result in legal action under the Foreign Exchange Management Law.”