Thousands participated in a 3-kilometre (1.9-mile) march through Yangon yesterday in a public show of support for the Tatmadaw and its current campaigns in Shan, Kachin and Rakhine states. The rally was held the day after heavy fighting in Kachin that saw the Tatmadaw seize an important outpost previously controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).





The marchers, who included former military service-people, monks, nationalists and civilians wearing the traditional dress of a number of Myanmar’s ethnic groups, began in Bahan township and made their way to downtown’s Mahabandoola Park, shouting their support for the Tatmadaw along the way. Many carried both the national flag and the flag of the military.

“The Tatmadaw is necessary for the existence of our nation and its religion. The nation will only be powerful if the Tatmadaw is powerful,” nationalist monk U Thu Satetta, secretary of the Myanmar National Monk Union (Yangon), told the crowd after it assembled in the park at the end of the march.

Some had travelled far to attend the march, including U Pyinnya Thiri, a monk from Kayin State’s Myawady township who ventured to Yangon specifically for the event.

“I have lived in a rebel-controlled area, so I know the value of the Tatmadaw,” he said.

“Bullet” U Hla Swe, a prominent former lawmaker known for his provocative remarks and boasting of having forced homosexuals to serve as his porters during his stint in the armed forces, also addressed the marchers.

He told the crowd that he participated in the event to encourage frontline soldiers fighting in northern Shan State against the Northern Alliance-Burma, a coalition comprised of the KIA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, the Arakan Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.





“No matter which government is in power, these groups are the ones who always rebel. I strongly support the fact that our Tatmadaw is attacking these rebels,” he said, adding that he was also in favour of the Shan State legislature’s recent decision to designate the alliance a “terrorist” group.

Another speaker at yesterday’s rally, Daw Khin Wine Kyi, a former MP from the National Democratic Force, lectured the crowd on Myanmar’s history and the Tatmadaw’s role in it.

“Members of the Tatmadaw are the ones sacrificing their lives and fighting for the livelihoods of Myanmar’s people. No matter which government is in power, the Tatmadaw is always protecting the people from danger. The Tatmadaw is essential for our country,” she said.

A contingent of around 300 security personnel also attended the event. Men with headbands that said “security” in Myanmar language inspected the belongings of passersby in the vicinity and photographed journalists in attendance.