Around 200 junta troops who were afraid of the bullets that could land directly in their chests at any time, resting their heads on the steel railings at the base of the No. 2 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge outside Myawaddy town, suddenly returned to the infantry battalion 275 where they were based like returning from a vacation trip. Therefore, the return to their military base was Myawaddy politics which is simple and has various secrets.
During the first week of April, after the Karen National Liberation Army-KNLA joint forces attacked and captured all the Thin Gan Nyi Naung military battalions when the resistance joint forces began to enter Myawaddy town, the Myanmar people were interested in Myawaddy-capture and had high hopes for Myawaddy regarding the revolution.
When the KNLA joint forces attacked the Infantry Battalion 275 of the Myawaddy Guard Force that refused to surrender, about 200 of Min Aung Hlaing’s Gilana soldiers fled to the foot of No. 2 Friendship Bridge. At that time, Myawaddy town was considered to have been captured by the resistance joint forces.
The junta flag was removed from the infantry battalion 275 on April 15, and when the Karen national flag was hoisted, thousands of people cheered and congratulated the KNLA and PDF joint force. Everyone knew that the congratulations of the people were full of heart and soul.
Many thought that the soldiers who fled to the foot of No. 2 Friendship Bridge were only dreaming that the Aung Zay Ya operation that Min Aung Hlaing’s Assistant Soe Win was sent to Myawaddy would reinforce, regarding that those soldiers did not cross over to the Thailand side and did not surrender.
On the night of April 19, the Gilana junta soldiers at the foot of No.2 Friendship Bridge were seriously attacked by the KNLA joint forces. Then, the fighting continued fiercely near the bridge, and the military junta jets bombarded the area near the Thai border. Over 150 bombs were dropped in total, so it was an excessive bombardment.
The aerial bombardment exploded on houses in the neighborhood near No. 2 Friendship Bridge, and at least 8 people were killed while fleeing from the aerial attack by the military.
The KNLA joint forces retreated from attacking the junta soldiers near No. 2. Friendship Bridge on April 21. After that, they began to operate Myawaddy town with tools that came out of the political turns, starting on April 23.
Even before the public could think about how the soldiers at the foot of the bridge would proceed, with the help of the Karen National Army (KNA), which had changed its name from the junta’s Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), those soldiers returned to the infantry battalion 275 inside Myawaddy town without firing a shot. The Karen national flag was also taken down.
Some sources of the Karen National Army (KNA) and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) said that the Karen leaders consulted and decided on a way to minimize the impact on the people of such an immediate change of turning points, the BBC reported.
The Karen National Union (KNU) Central Executive Pado Sawtonei said that the KNLA joint forces had to temporarily retreat from Myawaddy to avoid falling into the enemy’s field.
Whatever, the police station, front line office and district administration office inside Myawaddy were regained control by the military junta. In addition, the No. 1 Friendship Bridge has been re-opened on April 27, and the military junta soldiers have been re-positioned on the Myanmar side of the No. 1 Friendship Bridge, and the military junta’s administration has almost returned to normal in Myawaddy town.
The people of Myanmar will never forget the spectacular event of the recapture of Myawaddy without firing a single shot.