THREAD
As #Myanmar Army burns villages in Sagaing...
Let's discuss the 'four cuts' strategy and community resilience to it
4 cuts is NOT about cutting resources to civilians. No.
Civilians ARE the resource that is being cut.
#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
myanmar-now.org/mm/news/7124
As #Myanmar Army burns villages in Sagaing...
Let's discuss the 'four cuts' strategy and community resilience to it
4 cuts is NOT about cutting resources to civilians. No.
Civilians ARE the resource that is being cut.
#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
myanmar-now.org/mm/news/7124
I have seen many posts lately framing food or water blockaids to civilians as 4 cuts (Phyet-Lay-Phyet)
It is all connected, but '4 cuts' is something much more evil.
'4 cuts' aims to cut off civilian support to armed groups, by displacing, killing and terrorising the civilians
It is all connected, but '4 cuts' is something much more evil.
'4 cuts' aims to cut off civilian support to armed groups, by displacing, killing and terrorising the civilians
There are disagreements about what the '4 cuts' actually are.
Many scholars have claimed the aim is to stop civilians from providing 4 things - often choosing 4 from food, funding, resources, recruits, sancturary, intelligence.
(It is all these things - take your pick.)
Many scholars have claimed the aim is to stop civilians from providing 4 things - often choosing 4 from food, funding, resources, recruits, sancturary, intelligence.
(It is all these things - take your pick.)
Maung Aung Myoe analysed a military conference in 1968 and shows the 4th cut was supposed to "make the people cut off the insurgent's head", i.e. turning the people against the armed groups
In practice, decades of 4 cuts has firmly turned milllions of people against the Tatmadaw
In practice, decades of 4 cuts has firmly turned milllions of people against the Tatmadaw
In practice, the strategy has focused on forcibly removing hundreds of thousands of people from areas influenced by armed groups.
Those who stay on their homeland cannot sustain livelihoods and live in fear of rape, torture, landmines in their fields & other horrors.
Those who stay on their homeland cannot sustain livelihoods and live in fear of rape, torture, landmines in their fields & other horrors.
Wide areas are labelled as "black areas" where everyone is ordered to leave. Those who stay are treated as combatants
Civilian settlements are airstriked or shelled. Then the army's most rabid infantry units are sent in to conduct clearance ops, killing & raping as they go
Civilian settlements are airstriked or shelled. Then the army's most rabid infantry units are sent in to conduct clearance ops, killing & raping as they go
Livestock are killed.
Rice fields and homes are sewn with landmines.
Holes are shot in pots and pans.
Village rice mills are bent out of shape.
Harvests are burned
Non-Buddhist religious symbols and books are defaced
Schools are trashed.
Everything valuable is taken.
Rice fields and homes are sewn with landmines.
Holes are shot in pots and pans.
Village rice mills are bent out of shape.
Harvests are burned
Non-Buddhist religious symbols and books are defaced
Schools are trashed.
Everything valuable is taken.
Hundreds of thousands of people are forced:
1) Into hiding in the forests
2) Into refugee and IDP camps; or
3) Into government-controlled camps, many of which are forced relocation or internment camps
See The Border Consortium's excellent IDP reports: theborderconsortium.org/resources/key-…
1) Into hiding in the forests
2) Into refugee and IDP camps; or
3) Into government-controlled camps, many of which are forced relocation or internment camps
See The Border Consortium's excellent IDP reports: theborderconsortium.org/resources/key-…
The strategy was first developed for the Burma Communist Party, so we should not be surprised that they target Bamar ppl too.
Nonetheless, the strategy has been increasingly racialised over the years, coupled with programmes to 'develop' & 'educate' non-Bamar 'national races'
Nonetheless, the strategy has been increasingly racialised over the years, coupled with programmes to 'develop' & 'educate' non-Bamar 'national races'
People of the same ethnic group as the local armed group are targeted while other ethnic groups are offered protection in return for loyalty and intelligence.
The strategy is gendered too. Woman face the majority of sexual violence; men are more regularly tortured for info.
The strategy is gendered too. Woman face the majority of sexual violence; men are more regularly tortured for info.
In the wild imaginations of TMD officers, this cleansing process will transform black areas into white areas.
Then conceited projects for the "development of national races" can transform the locals into model Bamar-speaking citizens who will learn to love the mother country.
Then conceited projects for the "development of national races" can transform the locals into model Bamar-speaking citizens who will learn to love the mother country.
Muslim #Rohingya people faced the Tatmadaw's most excessive ever 4-cuts operations in 16-17
Satelite imagery has shown near destruction of 214 villages. hrw.org/news/2017/09/1…
@MSF est. over 9000 died in just 1 month, including 730 murdered children. msf.org/myanmarbanglad…
Satelite imagery has shown near destruction of 214 villages. hrw.org/news/2017/09/1…
@MSF est. over 9000 died in just 1 month, including 730 murdered children. msf.org/myanmarbanglad…
The numbers are similar for Karen, Karenni and Shan during 90s-00s but over a longer period.
Resilience to state terrorism has become a way of life, and communal solidarity is the bulwarks of every ethnic community's incredible self-defence.
See: khrg.org/2008/11/villag…
Resilience to state terrorism has become a way of life, and communal solidarity is the bulwarks of every ethnic community's incredible self-defence.
See: khrg.org/2008/11/villag…
But now, once again, they target Bamar Buddhists in their heartland.
They will do this to anyone who challenges their power. It has become routine.
This killing machine has one gear. It cannot be switched off until it runs out of fuel or is smashed into pieces.
They will do this to anyone who challenges their power. It has become routine.
This killing machine has one gear. It cannot be switched off until it runs out of fuel or is smashed into pieces.
Despite talk about Tatmadaw being bigger and better funded than the PDFs, this has never been the decisive factor.
Much more important will be how resilient communities are in their support for the resistance.
Read it from the Tatmadaw yourself (1968 via Maung Aung Myoe:
Much more important will be how resilient communities are in their support for the resistance.
Read it from the Tatmadaw yourself (1968 via Maung Aung Myoe:
From China to Afghanistan, many smaller armies have defeated bigger ones.
They have done this by making it impossible for the bigger military to function by harrassing supply lines, demoralising troops, exhausting resources and maintaining popular support for a long period.
They have done this by making it impossible for the bigger military to function by harrassing supply lines, demoralising troops, exhausting resources and maintaining popular support for a long period.
If the NUG is successful, it won't be because Federal Army troops matched the Tatmadaw and then marched down Sule Pagoda Road to waving flags.
It will be because every fruit seller, teacher & farmer was given a cause to believe in and risked everything for as long as it took.
It will be because every fruit seller, teacher & farmer was given a cause to believe in and risked everything for as long as it took.
As always, I am amazed at how patient everyone is with my typos and spelling mistakes 🤣
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