Junta’s Military Targets Universities for Defence Operations
Padone | 21 August 2024 | University World News
Many structurally sound universities in Myanmar that are located on the outskirts of the country’s cities are being commandeered by the military junta as part of a defence strategy in anticipation of combat with a coalition of the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) and ethnic armed forces that oppose the regime.
In the second week of August, Myanmar’s second-largest city Mandalay saw a surge in military engagements as armed ethnic resistance groups intensified their efforts against the military dictatorship. The fighting has become more intense, with different resistance groups achieving significant advances.
On 7 August, leaflets containing information about an impending military operation were dropped by the military on the University of Technology (Yatanarpon Cyber City) campus, situated at the 28 Milestone of the Mandalay-Lashio Road into the town of Pyin Oo Lwin, sparking fear among students and teachers.
“We have got news from a confirmed military source that junta troops are preparing to position themselves within the University of Technology (Yatanarpon Cyber City) if fighting takes place,” an interim council spokesperson for the university told University World News, speaking anonymously for security reasons….