People's Defence Force (Myanmar)

The People's Defence Force (Burmese: ပြည်သူ့ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်မတော်, romanized: Pyithu Kakweye Tatmadaw, lit. 'People's Defense Army'; abbreviated: PDF) is the armed wing of the National Unity Government (NUG), a body of democratically-elected legislators and officials that is widely accepted by the civilian populace to be the legitimate government of Myanmar. The armed wing was formed by the National Unity Government with Myanmar youths and pro-democracy activists on 5 May 2021 in response to the coup d'état that occurred on 1 February 2021 and ongoing violence of the junta.[9] Despite having a large amount of support from the people of Myanmar, the military junta designated it as a terrorist organisation on 8 May 2021.[10] In October 2021, the NUG's Ministry of Defence announced it had formed a central committee to coordinate military operations across the country, under a single chain of command.[11]

People's Defence Force
ပြည်သူ့ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်မတော်
Founding leaderYee Mon
Foundation5 May 2021 (2021-05-05)
Dates of operation5 May 2021 (2021-05-05) – present
CountryMyanmar
Allegiance National Unity Government of Myanmar
Group(s)
IdeologyFederalism
Size50,000 (2022 est.)[6]
Part ofMinistry of Defence, National Unity Government
Allies
Opponents Myanmar (SAC)
Battles and warsInternal conflict in Myanmar
Websitemod.nugmyanmar.org/en/peoples-defence-force/

According to the statement made by the NUG, the PDF is divided into five divisions (Northern, Southern, Middle, Eastern and Western Divisions), each having at least three brigades. Each brigade consists of five battalions, which are further divided into four companies.[12] On 13 July 2021, the NUG's minister of defence Yee Mon stated that the strength of the newly-formed militia was expected to reach 8,000 by the end of the month.[13] Some estimates put the PDF's numbers at 50,000 in February 2022.[6]

History

Yee Mon, the Minister of Defence of the NUG, announced on 16 April 2021 that the NUG would establish an armed wing that would cooperate with various ethnic armed organisations[14] to launch an armed revolution against the junta.[15] On 5 May 2021, the National Unity Government announced the formation of the PDF as a "forerunner of the federal armed forces". It also stated that the PDF is formed in response to the violence happening throughout the country.[16] On 28 May 2021, the NUG released a video of the PDF's graduation ceremony, announcing that the armed wing was ready to challenge the military junta's forces.[17]

Yangon Region clashes

On 14 August 2021, the PDF ambushed six heavily armed policemen who were travelling along the Yangon Circular Railway, using pistols. Four policemen were killed on the spot, while a fifth died of his wounds in hospital. A sixth policeman was injured but survived, totalling 5 killed and 1 wounded. Four automatic rifles belonging to the policemen were also seized.[18]

Shan State clashes

The PDF clashed with the Tatmadaw in the town of Muse on 23 May 2021, killing at least 13 members of Myanmar's security forces.[19] Another clash happened in the town of Moebyel, in which 20 members of the police force were killed.[20]

Chin State clashes
Main article: Chinland Defense Force

Chin State saw some of the earliest armed resistance against the Tatmadaw after the coup, where clashes were reported as early as late March 2021. Armed with traditional tumi guns, ethnic Chin were able to inflict significant casualties on the Tatmadaw. In early April 2021, Chinland Defense Force (CDF) was established. Notably, Tatmadaw saw heavy casualties in the clashes with Mindat branch of the CDF in late April and May 2021. CDF Mindat briefly occupied the town, and was forced to withdraw when the Tatmadaw used civilians as shields.[21][22]

Chin National Army, the existing Chin armed organisation, various township branches of the CDF and Chin National Defence Force, a newly formed Chin armed organisation after the coup, came together to form a joint defence coordination body called Chinland Joint Defense Committee (CJDC).[23] The total strength of active personnel under the command of CJDC is approximated to be around 13,000. From August to October 2021, it was reported that at least 40 clashes occurred between junta troops and CDF in various townships.[24] CJDC claimed that at least 1,029 Tatmadaw soldiers were killed in the clashes and lost 58 of their own in 2021.[25]

Karenni State clashes

Karenni PDF launched attacks in Demoso and Bawlakhe townships, killing at least twenty Tatmadaw soldiers and police and burning down three outposts on 26 May 2021.[4] Tatmadaw retaliated with shelling residential areas with artillery.[26]

On 31 May 2021, Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) was formed as a merger of scattered PDF groups in the Karenni state and some local Ethnic Armed Organisations, the main organisation being Karenni National Progressive Party.[27]

Sagaing clashes

The PDF, along with the Kachin Independence Army, began assaults on Tatmadaw positions in Katha, Sagaing around the end of May 2021, killing eight regime soldiers and injuring thirteen.[28] On 24 and 26 June 2021, combined PDF and KIA forces clashed with the Tatmadaw, reportedly killing at least 44 regime troops.[29]

On 15 January 2022, a combined force of PDF and All Burma Students' Democratic Front attacked two Tatmadaw ships approaching Katha from Shwegu using rocket-propelled grenades. This confrontation marks the first time ABSDF has engaged the Tatmadaw since the beginning of the coup, entering a war against the regime and openly siding with the PDF.[30]

Mandalay clashes

In early June 2021, PDF activities increased significantly across the Mandalay District, with multiple violent clashes with pro-junta security forces being reported in Mandalay city and surrounding townships.

On 1 June, a PDF fighter shot two soldiers, killing one, outside of a high school that had been forced to re-open by junta authorities despite a nationwide boycott of government-run schools. The leader of the PDF in Mandalay, Bo Nat Khat, also claimed responsibility for recent bombings in five townships. The military junta has called the PDF attacks acts of terrorism.[31]

In Patheingyi Township on 8 June, three PDF fighters in a vehicle rammed two police officers on motorbikes in a car-ramming attack before shooting and killing them. The PDF claimed responsibility for the attack which was confirmed by a pro-democracy police officer.[31]

On 22 June, Tatmadaw forces in armoured vehicles raided a PDF base in Chanmyathazi Township, resulting in the deaths of two fighters and six arrests, according to the PDF.[32] Tatmadaw-owned media sources claimed that four PDF fighters were killed and eight arrested, while some security forces were injured.[33] Later that day, the Mandalay PDF spokesperson announced that the group had "declared war" on the junta.[34]

Other activities

In early June 2021, a combined force of five armed groups; the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) splinter group, PDF, KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KPC), Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) and a Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) splinter group clashed with Tatmadaw and Karen BGF in Phlu village, Karen state.[35] Brigadier General Saw Kyaw Thet, commander-in-chief of the DKBA splinter group stated that the five armed groups are cooperating throughout Karen state.[35]

A villager of Kin Ma, in Magway Region, reported on 15 June 2021 that PDF forces had clashed with security forces in the village.[36] Following this incident, Tatmadaw forces burned down the village, killing at least two.[36] Ye PDF, allied with Thanbyuzayat PDF together destroyed military junta owned business Mytel's telecom tower, located in Thanbyuzayat Township, on 1 October.[37]

Defections from the Tatmadaw

The Burmese military has seen increased defections to the civil disobedience movement (CDM) and the PDF in opposition to the military coup.[38] The NUG and PDF groups have launched propaganda and psychological warfare campaigns to accelerate the Burmese military's collapse.[38] Army defectors generally face death sentences, which are then commuted to life in prison.[39]

By September 2021, the number of defectors had risen to 1,500 soldiers and 500 police officers, most of whom were privates and sergeants.[40][41]

In October 2021, Brigadier-General Phyo Thant, who leads the Northwest Command, was detained by the military after his plans to defect were exposed.[42] Sagaing Region and Chin State, which are part of the Northwest Command, have seen strong local armed resistance from the PDF.

By 5 February 2022 more than 8,000 soldiers had defected to join the CDM, with 75 percent of defectors expressing their willingness to join the PDF.[43][44]

By February 15 of 2022, it has been known that over 16,000 soldiers and police officers had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement to fight against the Military Junta.[45]

Equipment

The PDF currently operates using a wide plethora of makeshift, locally-manufactured, and foreign-manufactured small arms. Many subgroups of the PDF initially used makeshift bolt-action rifles to resist the Myanmar military in June 2021 and some subgroups still operate using makeshift hunting rifles in 2022.[46] Many PDF battalions use assault rifles they seize from Myanmar military troops in ambushes and joint-operations with ethnic armed organizations. Such seized weapons are often domestically manufactured by the Myanmar military and use a 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, including the MK-II (locally-manufactured Galil variant) and the MK-III bullpup (locally-manufactured QBZ-97 variant) versions of the MA-1 assault rifle, the MA-4 assault rifle, and the MA-11 assault rifle (locally-manufactured HK-33 variant). The PDF has also been known to use small arms identical to those used by ethnic armed organizations such as the Karen National Liberation Army and the Kachin Independence Army, which include variants of the M-16 assault rifle and the Kachin-manufactured variant of the Chinese Type 81 assault rifle known as the K-09.

As of January 2022, the PDF has also begun its own small arms manufacturing operations. The PDF has begun to mass-produce the FGC-9 PCC through 3-D printing, a semiautomatic carbine that operates on 9mm cartridges.[47] An organization of Myanmar military defectors known as the People's Soldiers Production Team has also begun an arms manufacturing operation known as Project A-1 to support the PDF's resistance efforts. The People's Soldiers Production Team aims to economically produce variants of the M-16 assault rifle and the AK-47 assault rifle as well as ammunition, such as the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge, the 9×19mm Parabellum, the .22 caliber cartridge, the RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade, the 60mm Lightweight Mortar round, the 40×46mm grenade, and the M67 fragmentation grenade.

Video footage and reports of a Myanmar Air Force jet being shot down in Kayah State on 20 February 2022 have also led to speculation of the PDF being in possession of man-portable air-defense systems.

See also
  •  Myanmar portal

References
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