Shwe Kokko offensive explained
The Shwe Kokko Offensive was a failed offensive by Karen EAOs and the People's Defense Force (including rogue elements of the KNU/KNLA Peace Council and Kawthoolei Army splinter group) on the city of Shwe Kokko.[6]
Background
Shwe Kokko, a town in the Thai border area of Myawaddy District, serves as the headquarters of Saw Chit Thu's Karen BGF.[7] [8]
Overtime, it gained notoriety as a gambling hotspot for Chinese tourists, a scam center, and a destination for human trafficking.[9] [10] [11]
Kawthoolei Army
On 17 July 2022, ousted KNDO commander-in-chief, Nerdah Myah, formed the Kawthoolei Army to fight the Myanmar SAC junta independently.[12] According to Karen media, he formed the group after allegedly obstructing an investigation related to a massacre of 25 unarmed civilians.[13]
Offensive
In spite of animosity, KNLA Brigade 5, the Kawthoolei Army, a rogue faction of the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, and the People's Defense Force jointly launched attacks on Myanmar Army and BGF positions near Shwe Kokko.[14] Initially, the attacks went somewhat smoothly, resulting in the capture of at least five BGF outposts.[15]
However, starting in April 8th, the offensive began to falter as Myanmar Army Mi-35 helicopters started to bomb anti-junta positions.[2]
Aftermath
By April 11th, the BGF fully regained control of Shwe Kokko. At least 10,000 civilians of various nationalities fled to Thailand.[5] Allegedly, some KNLA commanders (such as the leader of Brigade 7) aided the BGF in exchange for profits from another Myawaddy fraud factory, KK Park.[5] Although Brigade 7 denied this charge, it announced that KTLA forces are forbidden from moving within their operational area.[5]
While Shwe Kokko did not face another attack, the Three Brotherhood Alliance and other anti-junta forces successfully crippled scam operations in the Kokang Region as part of Operation 1027 six months later.[16]
Notes and References
- https://karennews.org/2023/04/the-knu-breakaway-peace-council-faction-expels-two-commanders-who-joined-revolutionary-offensive-near-chinese-mafia-s-shwe-kokko-new-city-myawaddy-district-karen-state/ The KNU breakaway “Peace Council” faction Expels Two Commanders Who joined revolutionary offensive near Chinese mafia ‘s Shwe Kokko New City Myawaddy district Karen State
- https://www.mizzima.com/article/villagers-flee-areas-near-shwe-kokko-karen-state-fighting-escalates Villagers flee areas near Shwe Kokko as Karen State fighting escalates
- https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/war-against-the-junta/fresh-fighting-breaks-out-near-chinese-gambling-hub-in-myanmars-karen-state.html Fresh Fighting Breaks Out Near Chinese Gambling Hub in Myanmar’s Karen State
- https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/shwe-kokko-crime-hub-attacked-for-funding-myanmar-junta-ktla.html Shwe Kokko Crime Hub Attacked for Funding Myanmar Junta: KTLA
- https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/into-the-lions-den-the-failed-attack-on-shwe-kokko/ Into the lion’s den: The failed attack on Shwe Kokko
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65210336 Myanmar coup: Thousands of Burmese flee to Thailand after intense fighting
- Web site: Tower . Jason . Clapp . Priscilla A. . 2020-07-27 . Myanmar’s Casino Cities: The Role of China and Transnational Criminal Networks . 2023-03-02 . United States Institute of Peace . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20231127082244/https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/myanmars-casino-cities-role-china-and-transnational-criminal-networks. November 27, 2023.
- Web site: Nachemson . Andrew . 2020-07-07 . The mystery man behind the Shwe Kokko project . 2023-03-02 . Frontier Myanmar . en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20231224164631/https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/the-mystery-man-behind-the-shwe-kokko-project/. December 24, 2023.
- https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/chinese-mega-project-in-myanmars-kayin-state-11132019165455.html Chinese Mega-Project in Myanmar’s Kayin State Sparks Resentment And Worry
- https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/scam-city-how-the-coup-brought-shwe-kokko-back-to-life/ Scam City: How the coup brought Shwe Kokko back to life
- https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/casino-02162023163151.html Four Laotian trafficking victims freed from Myanmar casino faced regular beatings
- https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/new-armed-group-formed-by-ousted-kndo-leader-will-not-be-recognised-by-knu/ New armed group formed by ousted KNDO leader will not be recognised by KNU
- https://karennews.org/2022/08/kawthoolei-army-how-a-broken-system-and-a-disrespect-for-the-rules-of-law-in-the-knu-gave-birth-to-another-armed-group-in-karen-state/ Kawthoolei Army: How a broken system and a disrespect for the rules of law in the KNU gave birth to another armed group in Karen State
- https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/resistance-raids-myanmar-junta-outposts-near-chinese-gambling-hub.html Resistance Raids Myanmar Junta Outposts Near Chinese Gambling Hub
- https://burmese.voanews.com/a/7040280.html ရွှေကုက္ကိုမှာ စစ်ကောင်စီဘက် နဲ့ KNLA တိုက်ပွဲပြင်းထန် (Heavy fighting between the military council and the KNLA in Shwe Kokko)
- https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/north-east-asia/china-myanmar/b179-scam-centres-and-ceasefires-china-myanmar-ties-coup Scam Centres and Ceasefires: China-Myanmar Ties Since the Coup
