Myanmar warlord at centre of battle for key border town

ARMED soldiers loyal to a turncoat warlord patrol the streets of southeastern Myanmar’s frontier town of Myawaddy, as troops of the ruling junta and rebels jostle for control of the outpost that handles more than $1 billion (about R19bn) in border trade every year.

The struggle for Myawaddy has highlighted the role played by Colonel Saw Chit Thu, his militia and sprawling business enterprise, underlining his outsized influence in the strategically vital territory.

The Karen National Army (KNA) he leads has long had a presence in the region lying across from Thailand, which has become a key battleground as an anti-junta resistance gains momentum against the powerful military.

Saw Chit Thu’s ties to Myanmar’s military rulers, evidenced by an honorary title for “outstanding performance” conferred on him by junta chief General Min Aung Hlaing in November 2022, have helped him build his position. But Britain has imposed sanctions on him for serious human rights violations such as people-trafficking, and analysts have flagged his ties to border scam centres run by Chinese-led crime networks.

Saw Chit Thu and a junta spokesperson did not respond to telephone calls from Reuters seeking comment.

Early in April, Myawaddy the frontline as resistance fighters led by the Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armies, pushed into the area and dislodged hundreds of junta troops from their bases. But the KNA, once entirely loyal to the junta, stood aside after Saw Chit Thu declared that the militia, previously known as the Border Guard Force, would stop accepting salaries and rations from the military. “We do not want to fight among our Karen people,” he told media in January.

Lack of logistical and tactical support from the KNA stymied the junta’s ability to fight back in Myawaddy, the US Institute of Peace think tank said in a report this week, estimating the strength of the militia at 8 000 soldiers.

At the time, the loss of Myawaddy was yet another battlefield defeat for the junta, which is locked in a widening civil war with established ethnic minority armies and a grass-roots resistance movement that emerged after its 2021 coup.

But the KNA’s status as being neither entirely loyal to the junta nor pledging alliance with the rebels has thrust it into the spotlight.

The military, which retains significant firepower, has mounted a counter-offensive for the town, forcing a temporary withdrawal from Myawaddy by KNU resistance forces, some moving about 12km away to control key routes, the group’s spokesperson, Saw Taw Nee, told Reuters.

It was the support of Saw Chit Thu’s KNA militia that enabled the return of some junta troops to Myawaddy, Saw Taw Nee added.

Yesterday, small groups of KNA soldiers drove through the town of about 200 000 people that remains peaceful, two Myawaddy residents told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The town is normal,” a 42-yearold resident said. “The government offices are open.”

Saw Chit Thu’s militia emerged out a faction of the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the KNU, around 2010, and sided with Myanmar’s military to take on junta opponents in parts of the south-eastern highlands.