🔗 Share this article Within Resistance-Occupied Burma, Residents Face Ruinous Air Strikes and a Fake Vote A resident was forced to abandon her home following the regime initiated air strikes in the vicinity. During the evening last month, a resident was startled by blasts in a adjacent village, then warplanes soaring above. She hurried outside her home to see smoke rising from a distance. "We were terrified. We feared the junta's planes might attack us too. So we took what we could carry – some food and clothes and ran into the forests around our village." Her face trembles as she narrates the events of what occurred on 26 November in K-Haimual, located in Myanmar's western Chin region. She belongs to thousands of civilians who've fled their homes in recent weeks subsequent to the Burmese military initiated a relentless assault of bombing runs, and a ground offensive in rebel-held areas nationwide. Many civilians have sought refuge in the neighboring country to flee the conflict in Myanmar. People in Chin state have characterized the military's recent operation as the fiercest it has launched in the past three years. Countless refugees have sought refuge in different areas of the state. Iang is among a group that made the border crossing into Mizoram in India. Currently sheltered in a decrepit badminton court in a village, the group's limited items they were able to carry are stored in plastic sacks. An octogenarian has had to escape his village at the age of 80, living in temporary huts in forests for days, until at last making it to safety. "We're afraid of our own government. They are incredibly harsh. Their military has entered our and other villages in the past, they've detained individuals, mistreated them, and set houses ablaze," he says. It is challenging to converse with Burmese civilians without restriction. Myanmar's regime prohibits open movement in the country for international reporters. It assumed power in the country in a putsch in February 2021, soon after the last election. Humanitarian Cost and Targeted Strikes During its latest offensive, the junta in the past week targeted a hospital in Rakhine State. Resistance organizations in Rakhine report at least 30 people were slain and more than 70 injured. A monitoring body says that since mid-September at least three schools and a number of places of worship in Chin State have been hit by junta airstrikes, claiming the lives of 12 people including six children. Evidence confirms the bombing of a school in Vanha village on 13 October. Two students lost their lives as they were studying. The bombs ripped through their classrooms harming more than a dozen other students. A refugee says the scheduled elections are a fraud. This is the second time, a man and his loved ones – a wife and two young children - have been displaced. Previously in 2021, following the coup, their home was burnt down in an air strike. They reconstructed their existence in K-Haimual village. Now they're homeless again. "Words fail me to explain how agonizing and challenging it is and what a tough choice it was to make to leave. But we had to do it to preserve our lives," he says. A Disputed Election The former ruling party, which won decisive victories in the two elections before the coup, will not be contesting as its key figures are in jail. "This vote is unwanted. Because the military is incapable of govern our country. They only work for the gain of their high-ranking leaders. When the previous government was in power, we experienced a taste of democracy. But now all we do is weep and mourn," says the elderly man. Another displaced woman believes the election will be rigged. "If we voted for a party not allied with the military, I believe they will tamper with the results and claim we voted for them." The election will occur in phases, with a result projected around the end of January. Rebel groups have labeled it a pretense. Insurgent Battleground and Losses At a base of a leading insurgent force operating in the state, a vice chairman states: "This process is only being held to perpetuate military dictatorship. It's not about the will of the people." He highlights the areas where the fiercest combat is ongoing. "There are columns of hundreds of soldiers trying to enter the northern part of Chin state from several axes," he says. "The soldiers are being backed up by air strikes, artillery fire and by drone units." A resistance member suffered grave injuries combating the military. Entry to such bases is very limited. Situated in thickly forested mountains, it is the heart of the resistance against the junta in Chin state. In a hospital at the base, numerous injured fighters had arrived overnight and had to undergo lengthy operations. Some of them have had to undergo limb removals. Many of them were just teenagers when the coup occurred in 2021. Just about adults now, they've abandoned their dreams to engage in combat against the junta. "While opposing forces withdrew we ran forward and I detonated a landmine. We were injured in the explosion. Then we were targeted by aircraft. The airstrikes make things very hard for us," explains a combatant. "Despite my injury, even if I've to give up my life I'm happy to make the sacrifice so that future generations have a better life." The consequence of the brutality of the latest offensive is apparent in every corner at the hospital. However, it's the backing and courage of tens of thousands of young people who picked up arms that have helped the rebels make notable progress against a better-equipped rival. Individuals such as 80-year-old the man hope that post-poll, the junta will pull back, and he will be able to go back home. "But I don't think I will live to see democracy restored in Myanmar," he says. "I wish my children and grandchildren can see it some day."