Poet turned militia leader Maung Saungkha, one of the most prominent figures fighting for democracy in Myanmar, says his armed group plans to start carving out territory in the country¡¯s heartlands to confront the junta more directly.
Maung Saungkha said the move is a key strategic aim for his Bamar People¡¯s Liberation Army (BPLA) ¡ª a militia formed in the wake of the junta¡¯s February 2021 coup ¡ª now that it has gained training from allies and battle experience in the country¡¯s borderlands.
Most BPLA members are Buddhist Bamars, the ethnic group that accounts for two-thirds of the population and dominates central Myanmar where government institutions are based.
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