Gunfire erupted in the streets of Mandalay, Burma’s second largest city, as regime troops raided a building where a cell of the incipient armed resistance movement was sheltering early on June 22. The raid, at Chanmyatharzi township, sparked hours of running street battles. Resistance fighters and supporters erected barricades of flaming tires to slow the advance of troops. Both the military, known as the Tatmadaw, and the rebel People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed casualties on the opposing side and denied deaths among their own forces. “We’ve declared war,” the Mandalay PDF said in a statement. “The day we’ve been waiting for is finally here.” The PDF has previously targeted Tatmadaw and police patrols in Mandalay. On June 1, a soldier was killed and another injured when the PDF fighters opened fire on military trucks in the city. On June 8, two police officers were shot dead. (Myanmar Now, TRT World, NYT)
Photo: Myanmar Now
Russia to boost military ties with Burma
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Burma’s junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, that Moscow is committed to strengthening military ties with the regime. “We are determined to continue our efforts to strengthen bilateral ties based on the mutual understanding, respect and trust that have been established between our countries,” RIA quoted Shoigu as saying at a meeting on June 22.
Min Aung Hlaing was in the Russian capital to attend a security conference and had earlier met Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council. (Reuters)