Myanmair – The Communist Party of Burma has re-established its People’s Liberation Army.

 In an exclusive interview with the Morning Star, a party representative esplains why communists have resumed armed struggle against Myanmar’s junta

Members of a youth group hold a flash mob rally to protest against the military government of Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing in Pabedan township in Yangon, Myanmar

AFTER a gap of more than 30 years, the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) has re-established its People’s Liberation Army, to fight Myanmar’s military regime.

The return to armed struggle has been years in the making. However, the process has been given a fresh impetus by the Spring Revolution, the mass upsurge inside the country that erupted after the military coup on February 1 this year.

Then the army leadership ousted civilian parties, grouped around Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), from government.

Claiming electoral fraud in the 2020 Myanmar general election, General Min Aung Hlaing arrested several civilian political leaders including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Su Kyi, and established the State Administration Council (SAC).

Peaceful mass protests against the coup, including strikes and demonstrations, have been violently suppressed by the military. Numerous political and ethnic groups since have set up or revived armed resistance groups in response.

A Communist Party representative told the Morning Star: “It’s true that the Communist Party of Burma has started organising an armed force. But I must point out that our attempts to rebuild the PLA began before reports reached the media.

“We have been trying to re-establish it for several years, but it has effectively come into existence now due to new possibilities that have emerged from the people’s resistance against the junta’s coup.”

The Communist Party spokesman says: “In a country like Burma, where the trigger-happy ruling elite resorted to arms even against unarmed students on university campuses, we have drawn lessons from history. It has taught us to resort to arms when fighting against fully armed demons