Photos by Tha Yet. Text by Sacca.

On 1st February 2021 Myanmar’s military carried out a coup which deposed the democratically elected government and shattered a decade of political and social development overnight. Many of the country’s elected officials were detained and Myanmar returned to military rule – something that the vast majority of the population had hoped they would never see again.

As protests against the coup grew, the military soon turned to the use of deadly force and mass detention in order to suppress the protest movement. In the first months of resistance hundreds of peaceful protestors were murdered and thousands were imprisoned.

As the majority of urban protests were quashed by the military crackdown, many young Burmese retreated into the jungles and mountains of Myanmar’s rugged periphery to learn how to wage war against the junta from armed groups who have been doing so for generations. Large swathes of Myanmar’s border regions have been embroiled in civil war for decades and local ethnic populations have long suffered under military repression. The resultant patchwork of self-administered regions protected by mountains, jungles and well established ethnic armed groups is the perfect training ground for a new generation of Burmese guerrilla fighters.

Amongst those active in training these new recruits is the The All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF). The ABSDF was formed on the Burma-Thailand border in the aftermath of a brutal crackdown by military forces on the “8888 Uprising” of August 1988, drawing obvious parallels with contemporary events. Since then the organisation’s armed wing has fought alongside numerous armed opposition groups in Myanmar in a violent and protracted conflict against state military forces.

The ABSDF welcomes recruits from a wide range of ethnic, social and political backgrounds, but all trainees share one ambition – to take up arms against the Myanmar military.

Karen State, Myanmar, January 12, 2022. Comrade Shar, a gay resistance fighter, is on morning guard duty at Thaung Yin riverside, on the border between Myanmar and Thailand. Comrade Shar and her partner have different religious beliefs. Prior to the coup, they were the lowest-ranking workers at a Chinese-owned factory, and they experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation.

Karen State, Myanmar, January 23, 2022. Comrades Myit Tar Shin and Cho Lay recite poetry in their leisure time.

Karen State, Myanmar, January 25, 2022. A child, 4-year-old Hnin Eaindra Lin, writes on a board with chalk. Her parents chose to fight in response to the coup and are now serving in the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Karen State, Myanmar, January 20, 2022. Comrade Shar, a gay resistance fighter, and her partner. Comrade Shar and her partner have different religious beliefs. Prior to the coup, they were the lowest-ranking workers at a Chinese-owned factory and they experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation.

Karen State, Myanmar, January 31, 2022. Break time for the trainees of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training. One discipline of the ABSDF’s basic military training is that trainees must hold their wooden guns like real guns and must guard them at all times. Trainers were known to suddenly grab trainees’ wooden guns and punish them if they were unable to protect them. Punishment included push-up exercises.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 2, 2022. A woman holds her child as she says goodbye to her husband who is heading for the front lines. Following a fight, her husband suffered an injury to his waist after falling from a hill.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 7, 2022. Basic military training with the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Karen State, Myanmar, February 6, 2022. A child, 4-year-old, Hnin Eaindra Lin is seen with flowers she has collected from around the All Burma Students’ Democratic Force (ABSDF) basic combat training ground. Her parents chose to fight in response to the coup and are now serving in the ABSDF.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 5, 2022. Maung Kaung Htet playing alone on the training ground of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF). “He had to take a year off when he was second standard because of the covid-19. He had to take another year off because of the coup. He should be going to fourth standard but he is still at second standard,” said his mother Ma Thae Mar Sint.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 6, 2022. A child, 4-year-old, Hnin Eaindra Lin is seen at the All Burma Students’ Democratic Force (ABSDF) basic combat training ground. Her parents chose to fight in response to the coup and are now serving in the ABSDF.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 6, 2022. Comrade Zidane takes part in a military training excercise. A 34-year-old Gurkha, Zidane opposed the military dictatorship during the 2007 Saffron Revolution and moved to Mae Sot, Thailand, to continue his activism. “The coup is turning back the clock. It can not be good for the future of my children’s generation. We have negotiated for over 70 years (referring to the world’s longest civil war) but it doesn’t work. So we need to fight (referring to the armed struggle).” Comrade Zidane has lived in Bangkok for over 10 years. He moved back to the Myanmar-Thai border to be involved in the armed struggle after the coup. Comrade Zidane enrolled in the basic military training course of the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and continues to serve military duties in the same organisation. There are musicians, university students, business persons, CDM civil servants, and craftsmen in the basic military training course he attended.

Karen State, Myanmar, January 30, 2022. Recruits take part in basic military training with the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Karen State, Myanmar, February 2, 2022. Hnin Eaindra Lin’s mother, Ma Thi Thi Aung, receives the COVID -19 vaccine. She worked as a hawker before the coup. She had to flee with her husband who was politically active during the coup. Her husband is now a soldier under the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Karen State, Myanmar, February 3, 2022. Editing a promotional video produced by the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Karen State, Myanmar, February 6, 2022. Break time for the trainees of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training. One discipline of the ABSDF’s basic military training is that trainees must hold their wooden guns like real guns and must guard them at all times. Trainers were known to suddenly grab trainees’ wooden guns and punish them if they were unable to protect them. Punishment included push-up exercises.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 9, 2022. Comrade Zidane takes part in a military training excercise. A 34-year-old Gurkha, Zidane opposed the military dictatorship during the 2007 Saffron Revolution and moved to Mae Sot, Thailand, to continue his activism. “The coup is turning back the clock. It can not be good for the future of my children’s generation. We have negotiated for over 70 years (referring to the world’s longest civil war) but it doesn’t work. So we need to fight (referring to the armed struggle).” Comrade Zidane has lived in Bangkok for over 10 years. He moved back to the Myanmar-Thai border to be involved in the armed struggle after the coup. Comrade Zidane enrolled in the basic military training course of the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and continues to serve military duties in the same organisation. There are musicians, university students, business persons, CDM civil servants, and craftsmen in the basic military training course he attended.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 8, 2022. During All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training, recruits practice jungle combat drills.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 9, 2022. During All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training, recruits practice jungle combat drills.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 8, 2022. Comrade Zidane takes part in a military training excercise. A 34-year-old Gurkha, Zidane opposed the military dictatorship during the 2007 Saffron Revolution and moved to Mae Sot, Thailand, to continue his activism. “The coup is turning back the clock. It can not be good for the future of my children’s generation. We have negotiated for over 70 years (referring to the world’s longest civil war) but it doesn’t work. So we need to fight (referring to the armed struggle).” Comrade Zidane has lived in Bangkok for over 10 years. He moved back to the Myanmar-Thai border to be involved in the armed struggle after the coup. Comrade Zidane enrolled in the basic military training course of the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and continues to serve military duties in the same organisation. There are musicians, university students, business persons, CDM civil servants, and craftsmen in the basic military training course he attended.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 11, 2022. During All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training, recruits practice jungle combat drills.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 11, 2022. During All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training, recruits prepare food in the jungle.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 11, 2022. During All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training, recruits take a break together.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 16, 2022. Trainees practice using military weapons during basic military training with the ABSDF (All Burma Students’ Democratic Front).

Karen State, Myanmar, February 16, 2022. Trainees practice using military weapons during basic military training with the ABSDF (All Burma Students’ Democratic Front). Cho Lay, right, was a university student before the coup. When her older brother and mother were arrested for anti-dictatorship movements, she fled home with her 12-year-old brother.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 16, 2022. Comrade ‘Commando’, with a tattoo of a map of Myanmar on his arm, at a gun-fire training field during basic military training with the ABSDF (All Burma Students’ Democratic Front). “The situation of the younger generations can get worse if we fail to eradicate the military dictatorship. So, I chose to fight in the armed struggle because I believe we must eradicate the dictatorship for our younger generation,” said Comrade ‘Commando’. He was a mechanic at a car workshop before joining the armed struggle against the coup.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 13, 2022. During basic military training with the All Burma Students’ Democratice Front (ABSDF), recruits burn dry leaves in their camp. Since the 2021 coup the number of people living in the forest, previously sparsely populated, has increased, resulting in plastics and other discarded items scattered around the forest or burned.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 14, 2022. Comrade ‘RPG’ (25) applies camouflage during All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) basic military training. “Armed struggle is the only option left to us as table talks do not work. Over seven decades of talk, nothing has happened,” he said. Before the coup he was a professional bass guitarist, now a Karen National Union (KNU) soldier. A revolutionary nickname he uses is RPG (Rocket Launcher).

Karen State, Myanmar, February 16, 2022. Comrade ‘Commando’ listens to music at the barracks during his leisure time n a break from ABSDF (All Burma Students’ Democratic Front) basic military training. “The situation of the younger generations can get worse if we fail to eradicate the military dictatorship. So, I chose to fight in the armed struggle because I believe we must eradicate the dictatorship for our younger generation,” said Comrade ‘Commando’. He was a mechanic at a car workshop before joining the armed struggle against the coup. One discipline of the ABSDF’s basic military training is that trainees must hold their wooden guns like real guns and must guard them at all times. Trainers were known to suddenly grab trainees’ wooden guns and punish them if they were unable to protect them. Punishment included push-up exercises.

Karen State, Myanmar, February 16, 2022. A 34-year-old Gurkha, Comrade Zidane opposed the military dictatorship during the 2007 Saffron Revolution and moved to Mae Sot, Thailand, to continue his activism. “The coup is turning back the clock. It can not be good for the future of my children’s generation. We have negotiated for over 70 years (referring to the world’s longest civil war) but it doesn’t work. So we need to fight (referring to the armed struggle).” Comrade Zidane has lived in Bangkok for over 10 years. He moved back to the Myanmar-Thai border to be involved in the armed struggle after the coup. Comrade Zidane enrolled in the basic military training course of the All Burma Sudents’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and continues to serve military duties in the same organisation. There are musicians, university students, business persons, CDM civil servants, and craftsmen in the basic military training course he attended.

Karen State, Myanmar, March 10, 2022. Comrade Thakrit (in cap) on guard duty with others. Comrade Thakrit is openly gay and serves with the ABSDF (All Burma Students’ Democratic Front).

This work is supported by grants from the VII Foundation and The Frontline Club.

Tha Yet is a Burmese photojournalist who has been working for local media agencies and CSOs for almost a decade, first as a reporter and researcher and more recently as a photographer. Tha Yet’s work has focused on communal and racial violence in Myanmar and the spread of hate speech through social networks, documenting human rights and minority rights issues – particularly those affecting the Rohingya and other Muslim communities in Myanmar – gender issues and social cohesion initiatives.

Since the military coup in Myanmar Tha Yet has spent time following the lives of young People’s Defence Force recruits training in the forests of Kayin (Karen) State along the Thai/Myanmar border.

Due to the political situation in Myanmar the name Tha Yet is an alias and this bio has been heavily redacted to remove any identifying information. 

Sacca Photo represents a collective of photographers documenting the reality of life under Myanmar’s military dictatorship. All enquiries into licensing images for publication or exhibition should be emailed to saccaphoto@protonmail.com.

www.saccaphoto.com