The Myanmar Military Council has been accused of burning forests in the Kho Nu M’cung National Park in Mindat Township, part of the ASEAN Heritage Park, as they fight People’s Defence Forces in the region, according to a report by the Mindat Post.

During recent days, the CDF-MINDAT resistance group has repeatedly intercepted and attacked a series of 83 Military convoys including two armoured vehicles which were leaving Mindat heading for Matupi.

That series of military convoys randomly and arbitrarily fired weapons at the roadside, causing the extensive damage of local people’s houses, public clinics of the villages which are located on the Mindat-Matupi Road.

"Natural forests, which we have to value and strive to preserve, are being destroyed by the senseless stupid acts of the Military Council’s troops," says Salai Yaw Mang, the spokesperson of CDF-MINDAT.

A fighter from the CDF Mindat says that the Military Council’s troops are taking a defensive measure by setting fire to the forests due to the repeated attacks by the CDF Mindat on the Mindat-Matupi Road.

A CDM Forest Officer of Mindat Township commented, "Burning the forests is a lawfully prohibited act, even for the civilians. It is very painful that the junta’s troops, whose primary responsibility is to protect the country, are destroying the country's precious natural forests."

"Another point is that it is not strange to destroy the forests for those who used to brutally torture and kill the civilians. They will continue their senseless and unconscious acts for the reason of the order," said the CDM Forest Officer.

"Such a burning of national parks as a warfare strategy of protection is a crooked and deceitful act," said a local resident told the Mindat Post. The areas burned by the junta’s troops are within the Forest Reserved Area of the Kho Nu M’cung National Park, which is also one of the ASEAN Heritage Parks and where there is precious ancient forest and wildlife that are threatened by these actions.