Tag: Chit Thu
‘I Will Stop Fighting My Fellow Karen’: Chit Thu
At a ceremony to honor fallen comrades on Saturday, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) commander Col Chit Thu vowed: “I will stop fighting my fellow Karen.”
Chit Thu made the remark in front of about 10,000 people at the ceremony held in Shwe Koko, the headquarters of the DKBA’s special battalion 999, in Karen State. Chit Thu is the commander of the DKBA Brigade 999.
The event was organized to pay respect to DKBA soldiers who died in battles between the DKBA and its mother organization, the Karen National Union (KNU). The DKBA split from the KNU and signed a cease-fire with the Burmese regime in 1995.
U Mahn, a Karen guest speaker at the event, said, “It is not a happy day for us. In fact, it is a sad day because we are remembering the men who died at the hands of our fellow Karen.
“Our people will only die if we continue to fight against each other. Nobody will come and help us,” he added.
During the ceremony, U Mahn said he also visited the graves where some 300 DKBA soldiers were buried. After visiting the cemetery, he said, “The soldiers in the graves in front of us were not the victims of wars against the Japanese or British. They were killed by their fellow Karen.
“It is time for us to stop killing each other and be united,” he said. Continue reading “‘I Will Stop Fighting My Fellow Karen’: Chit Thu”
DKBA leader holds lavish house warming ceremony
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Commander Col. Saw Chit Thu head of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) 999th Brigade held a lavish three day housewarming ceremony last week at his new mansion near the Burmese border city of Myawaddy in Karen state. The DKBA is the Burmese regime’s Karen paramilitary force and stands accused by human rights groups of committing numerous human rights abuses, drug trafficking and people smuggling.
The festivities included performances by Thai dancers, music concerts and ahnyeint, a Burmese traditional variety dance show with comedians. A soccer tournament also took place on the villa’s grounds.
“The invited monks preached sermons at 4 a.m. on March 24th. During the next three evenings, two Karen singers and two Burmese singers took turns signing.”, an officer from the 999th Brigade told Mizzima.
The officer, who wished to remain anonymous, estimated the total cost of the lavish ceremony at Ks. 100 million (approximately US $100,000).
Col. Saw Chit Thu’s massive villa has 10 bedrooms, guest bungalows and a swimming pool. The mansion also contains special rooms reserved for visiting monks.
The celebration of Col. Saw Chit Thu’s wealth and power was attended by local residents from Myawaddy and Burmese citizens from the nearby Thai border town of Mae Sot.
The DKBA has 3 brigades, 333, 555 and 999. Col Chit Thu, while not the DKBA’s most senior leader is believed to be the richest and most powerful member of the organization.
The DKBA originally formed as a junta supported breakaway faction that separated from the Karen National Union (KNU) in 1994. After signing an initial cease fire agreement with Burma’s military regime the DKBA were rewarded with lucrative timber and mining concession and given the right to levy “taxes” in territory under their control.
Many observers believe that the DKBA and its senior leaders have made huge sums of money from drug trafficking amphetamines and running brutal extortion rackets.
In May of last year the DKBA accepted the Burmese junta’s proposal to convert the ceasefire group into a ‘Border Guard Force’ (BGF).
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