September 2, 2026
The military junta is heavily pressuring leaders of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) to allow junta troops to enter and establish military bases in DKBA-controlled areas, including Payathonsu, Waw Lay, Phalu, and the Min Let Pan road section in Karen State.
During July and August, top junta officials from Naypyidaw and the South Eastern Command in Mawlamyine repeatedly demanded that DKBA senior leaders grant them permission to station troops in DKBA-controlled towns and villages along the Thai-Myanmar border, effectively turning them into junta-controlled territories.
Currently, fierce fighting is raging in these areas between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) allied forces and junta troops. Having been unable to advance for over two years, the military is now pressuring the DKBA to gain military and territorial control, according to a DKBA source.
“The military has called DKBA leaders for meetings three or four times already. They’ve asked them to go to the South Eastern Command in Mawlamyine, to Naypyidaw, or communicated via phone.
When they couldn’t advance into Min Let Pan, they fired heavy artillery into a DKBA battalion area and dropped bombs on the Kyauk Khet Bodhgaya hill. The military is demanding Payathonsu and Waw Lay back. They are demanding to re-enter and establish bases in Phalu, Min Let Pan, the Thone Htat Kway (Three-Tier Curve) road section, and Kyauk Khet,” the DKBA source explained.
In response to this pressure, DKBA commanders and regional leaders have been holding a series of internal meetings at the Sone See Myaing DKBA headquarters. They are discussing the junta’s peace processes, the regional military situation, issues surrounding Chinese cyber scam operations, economic concessions, and regional development.
In the Payathonsu and Waw Lay areas that the military is currently demanding back, the junta’s administrative mechanisms have completely collapsed. The junta’s Naga Taung tactical base in Payathonsu and the Waw Lay tactical hill have been surrounded, blockaded, and cut off by KNLA allied forces for nearly three years.
Currently, the junta has deployed five military columns with around 500 troops to launch an offensive towards Phalu, the Min Let Pan road section, and the Waw Lay tactical command. However, KNLA allied forces are actively intercepting them using guerrilla tactics. According to the KNLA, the junta’s ground columns have suffered heavy casualties and forced retreats, with some troops even surrendering and defecting to the resistance.
Military observers assess that if the DKBA refuses to hand over the Payathonsu and Waw Lay areas, the junta may retaliate with airstrikes, heavy artillery, and drone attacks on DKBA positions. However, on the ground at present, the junta has not yet escalated to direct military attacks against the DKBA to enforce their demands.
