AFP: Myanmar sentences three generals to death who surrendered to rebels 0
(Dan Tri) – Myanmar is said to have sentenced three brigadier generals to death who surrendered and handed over a strategic town on the Chinese border to rebels last month, AFP quoted military sources.
Photos published by media outlets close to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – one of three rebel groups, show Myanmar brigadier generals having a meal with MNDAA members after surrendering (Photo
`Three brigadier generals, including the Laukkai town commander, have been sentenced to death,` an anonymous military source told AFP.
Another military source confirmed the verdict to AFP.
In January, hundreds of soldiers laid down their guns in the town of Laukkai in the country’s northern Shan state against the Three Brothers Alliance – made up of three ethnic armed groups – after months of fighting.
After the surrender, their officers and soldiers were allowed by the rebels to leave the area.
Two sources who spoke to AFP did not provide details about when authorities issued the death sentence.
In January, AFP quoted a military spokesman and other sources as saying that Myanmar had arrested six brigadier generals involved in the surrender.
Information about the death sentence for the three brigadier generals has been published by a number of independent news sites since the end of January. The pro-Irrawaddy rebel news site on January 23 quoted a military government source as saying that the three brigadier generals
According to Myanmar’s military law, leaving your post without permission is punishable by death.
Laukkai, capital of the Kokang region bordering China’s Yunnan province, is the largest town to fall to the rebel alliance – which includes three ethnic armed groups – since it launched attacks.
According to AFP, Laukkai is a hub for drug production and online fraud.
A source close to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – one of three rebel groups in the alliance – recently told AFP that the group is trying to establish a new administration in the city.
Analysts say the onslaught by the rebel alliance has put the military junta in its biggest challenge since it came to power in a 2021 coup.
This month, the government announced it would begin conscripting young men and women due to the `current situation`.
It is currently unclear what activities those summoned will carry out while in the army.
The number of people lining up in front of the Thai Embassy in Yangon increased dramatically after the call for military service.
