軍政倒すのは「銃弾」　ジャングルで反体制派が軍事訓練　ミャンマー

【バンコクＡＦＰ＝時事】ミャンマー南東部のジャングルで、軍事政権の打倒を目指し訓練を受けている若い男性が、木に描かれた標的に向かってライフルを撃った。反動で後ろに倒れそうになると、引きつった笑い声が上がった。（写真はミャンマー・カイン＜カレン＞州にある反政府武装組織「カレン民族同盟＜ＫＮＵ＞」のキャンプで、軍事訓練で武器を構える反クーデター運動の活動家）
　武器を持って男性の後ろで順番を待っているのは、ミャンマー各地の都市を出て、反政府勢力が掌握するジャングルにやって来た人たちだ。現在は、反政府武装組織「カレン民族同盟（ＫＮＵ）」のメンバーから軍事訓練を受けている。ミャンマーには他にも、同様の反政府民族組織が２０以上存在する。
　タイと国境を接するカイン（カレン）州の木々が茂る丘にある訓練キャンプでＡＦＰの取材に応じたミンさん（仮名、２３）は、「銃声なんて聞いたこともなかった」と話した。
　国軍によるクーデターと反体制派に対する激しい弾圧が始まってから４か月。銃声には「ずいぶん慣れた」と言うミンさんは、「軍による独裁に終止符を打つ」のは、抗議デモではなく銃弾だと確信するようになったと語る。
　有志の参加者らは、縄を伝って泥だらけの小川を渡ったり、やぶの中に身を隠したり、負傷した仲間を安全な場所に運んだりと、ジャングルでの戦い方の訓練を受ける。休憩時間には木のベッドで休み、スマートフォンを眺める。
　ミンさんと同様の怒りを感じ、行動に移した反クーデターのデモ参加者は多い。その正確な人数の推定は難しいが、専門家の間では、戦闘訓練を受けるため数百人が反体制派の掌握地域に赴いたのではないかと言われている。
　しかし相手は反政府武装組織との戦闘で鍛えられてきた東南アジア有数のミャンマー軍。反体制派にとって不利だ。ミャンマーを拠点に活動していたアナリストのデービット・マシソン氏は、戦闘になれば多くの血が流れる壊滅的な事態になるだろうと指摘する。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/06/07-11:43）

Nervous laughter breaks out in Myanmar's eastern jungle as a young man training to overthrow the junta is knocked backwards by the kick of a rifle he has just fired at a target painted on a tree.
Waiting behind him for their turn with the weapon are others who have fled the cities and reappeared in rebel-held jungle territory, now training for combat against the military regime.
We had never heard the sound of gunshots, Min -- not his real name -- told AFP at the training camp hidden in the thickly-forested hills of Karen state along the border with Thailand.
But four months after the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and unleashed a brutal crackdown on dissent that has killed hundreds, the 23-year-old is now very used to their sound.
He has also been convinced of their power.
It is gunshots -- not protests -- that will end the military dictatorship in our country, he said.
Many anti-coup protesters share Min's anger and resolve.
Reliable estimates are hard to come by but analysts suspect hundreds of people have trekked into insurgent-held areas to receive crash courses in combat.
Last month, celebrity beauty queen Htar Htar Htet posted a photo to Facebook showing her dressed in black combat fatigues and carrying an assault rifle.
The time has come to fight back, wrote the gymnastics instructor, who represented Myanmar in the first Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Thailand.
But the odds are stacked against them in any confrontation with one of Southeast Asia's most battle-hardened and brutal militaries.
Myanmar's armed forces have waged almost constant war against insurgent groups since the country's independence from Britain in 1948.
An open fight is likely to end in a bloodbath, said David Mathieson, an analyst formerly based in the country.
- Target practice -
A day in the Karen boot camp starts before dawn.
Volunteers are trained in jungle tactics -- crossing muddy streams by shimmying along a rope, taking cover in the undergrowth and carrying injured comrades to safety.
In their downtime they rest on wooden beds and gaze at their smartphones.
Their instructors are members of the Karen National Union, one of more than 20 ethnic rebel groups across Myanmar that have an often fractious relationship with each other.
Some groups have condemned the coup and offered shelter to dissidents after the junta's lethal crackdown on early mass protests in the cities.
The KNU has hosted boot camps in its stronghold along the Thai border, although a spokesperson declined to comment when asked by AFP how many protesters it had trained.
All the sessions are very difficult but we are learning hard, Min said.
Target practice takes place on a makeshift range, with enemy soldiers represented by a square of white paint.
Resources are limited, with volunteers wearing flip flops instead of combat boots.
One volunteer sits cross-legged and loads shells carefully into a magazine, the Arsenal football club badge on his shorts hinting at his abandoned civilian life.
- 'Our bones and blood' -
I wanted to encourage the people who are still protesting against the military not to give up and to keep this revolution going, Khine -- not her real name -- told AFP at the camp.
We will help you in some way and please keep your strength until we win.
But analyst Mathieson questioned how effective rebel tactics born in the mountains and jungles would be when it comes to confronting the junta in towns and cities.
While the training might be a maturing experience for you personally, it's not going to transform you into an urban warfare operator, he told AFP.
Short-term training was also unlikely to instil the discipline and toughness needed to go toe-to-toe with the military, he added.
I think there will be a lot of hotheads and hormones, Mathieson said. It could be a recipe for chaos.
In the hidden camp, the young protesters are nonetheless resolute.
We will end the military dictatorship, root it out, said Min.
We have decided to give our lives, our bones and our blood for this, to finish them off.