August 12, 2026
The Karen National Army (KNA), led by Colonel Saw Chit Thu and notorious for its involvement in Chinese cyber scam operations in Shwe Kokko along the Thai-Myanmar border, held a grand military parade on August 12 to mark the 76th Karen Martyrs’ Day. Thousands of KNA troops marched and paid their respects during the morning ceremony.
This marks the first time in over 30 years that the Karen Martyrs’ Day has been publicly celebrated by this faction. Following the split from the parent organization, the Karen National Union (KNU), in 1995 to form the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and sign a ceasefire with the military junta, the group had ceased observing the memorial day.
The ceremony was attended by Brigadier General Saw Chit Thu—who recently transitioned his forces into the KNA, along with commanders, military family members, monks, Karen community elders, and local residents of Shwe Kokko.
Although Col. Saw Chit Thu, Maj. Maung Win, and Maj. Tin Win have officially transitioned their Border Guard Force (BGF) units into the KNA, they continue to cooperate closely with the military junta on military, security, economic, and regional development matters in Myawaddy and Hpa-An.
Despite the junta’s ongoing alliance with the KNA, the military regime has yet to issue any statements or warnings regarding the Karen Martyrs’ Day celebration held in Shwe Kokko.
While the military junta claimed in a July statement that over 70 buildings associated with notorious Chinese cyber scam complexes in Shwe Kokko had been demolished, local sources report a different reality. Unnamed sources state that the KNA continues to facilitate the relocation of these cyber scam operations to remote mountainous and forested areas in Shwe Kokko’s surroundings, as well as in Hlaingbwe, Painkyaw, and Kawkareik townships.
Although Brigadier General Saw Chit Thu did not make any official public remarks during the event, Shwe Kokko residents expressed deep joy and emotional pride at the revival of Karen Martyrs’ Day, keeping alive the memory of the fallen leaders of the Karen revolution.
