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. Myanmar coup: Thousands of Burmese flee to Thailand after intense fighting BBC. April 7, 2023
Background Shwe Kokko, a town in the Thai border area of Myawaddy District, serves as the headquarters of Saw Chit Thu's Karen BGF.
Over time, it gained notoriety as a gambling hotspot for Chinese tourists, a scam center, and a destination for human trafficking. Chinese Mega-Project in Myanmar’s Kayin State Sparks Resentment And Worry. Radio Free Asia November 13, 2019 Scam City: How the coup brought Shwe Kokko back to life June 23, 2022. Frontier Myanmar Four Laotian trafficking victims freed from Myanmar casino faced regular beatings Radio Free Asia. February 16, 2023.
Kawthoolei Army On 17 July 2022, ousted KNDO commander-in-chief, Nerdah Myah, formed the Kawthoolei Army to fight the Myanmar SAC junta independently. New armed group formed by ousted KNDO leader will not be recognised by KNU Myanmar Now. July 21, 2022 According to Karen media, he formed the group after allegedly obstructing an investigation related to a massacre of 25 unarmed civilians. 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. Karen News. August 2, 2022.
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. Resistance Raids Myanmar Junta Outposts Near Chinese Gambling Hub The Irrawaddy. April 7, 2023 Initially, the attacks went somewhat smoothly, resulting in the capture of at least five BGF outposts. ရွှေကုက္ကိုမှာ စစ်ကောင်စီဘက် နဲ့ KNLA တိုက်ပွဲပြင်းထန် (Heavy fighting between the military council and the KNLA in Shwe Kokko) (in Burmese). Voice of America. April 7, 2023
However, starting in April 8th, the offensive began to falter as Myanmar Army Mi-35 helicopters started to bomb anti-junta positions.
Aftermath
By April 11th, the BGF fully regained control of Shwe Kokko. At least 10,000 civilians of various nationalities fled to Thailand. 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. Although Brigade 7 denied this charge, it announced that KTLA forces are forbidden from moving within their operational area.
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. Scam Centres and Ceasefires: China-Myanmar Ties Since the Coup. March 27, 2024. International Crisis Group.
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