Why progress against HIV/AIDS has stalled among Hispanic and Latino Americans

Hispanic Americans accounted for 33% of estimated new HIV infections in 2022.

By Mary Kekatos

ABC
September 29, 2024



While the United States has made considerable progress fighting the HIV/AIDS crisis since its peak in the 1980s, headway has not been equal among racial/ethnic groups.

Overall, HIV rates have declined in the U.S. and the number of new infections over the last five years has dropped among Black Americans and white Americans. However, Hispanic and Latino Americans have not seen the same gains.

Between 2018 and 2022, estimated HIV infections among gay and bisexual men fell 16% for Black Americans and 20% for white Americans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, Hispanic Americans saw rates held steady, the CDC said.

There may be several reasons for the lack of decline, including Hispanic Americans facing health care discrimination, experts told ABC News. Some may also face the stigma that prevents patients from accessing services or makes them feel ashamed to do so. There is also a lack of material that is available in their native language or is culturally congruent, experts said.

"Where we are in the HIV epidemic is that we have better tools than ever for both treatment and for prevention, and we have seen a modest slowing in the rate of new infections, but we have seen a relative increase in the rate of new infections among Latino individuals, particularly Latino men who have sex with men," Dr. Kenneth Mayer, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and medical research director at Fenway Health in Boston, told ABC News.

"So, the trends are subtle, but they're concerning because it does speak to increased health disparities in that population," he continued.


Declines in estimated HIV infections, 2018-2022
CDC
Hispanic Americans make up more cases and more deaths

Although Hispanic and Latino Americans make up 18% of the U.S. population, they accounted for 33% of estimated new HIV infections in 2022, according to HIV.gov, a website run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is in comparison with white Americans, who make up 61% of the U.S. population but just 23% of HIV infections.

Hispanic and Latino gay men currently represent the highest number of new HIV cases in the U.S.

What's more, Hispanic males were four times likely to have HIV or AIDS compared to white males in 2022 and Hispanic females were about three times more likely than white females to have HIV over the same period, according to the federal Office of Minority Health (OMH).

Additionally, Hispanics males were nearly twice as likely to die of HIV Infection as white males and Hispanic females to die of HIV Infection in 2022, the OMH said.



MORE: People with HIV at higher risk of COVID reinfection: CDC





Erick Suarez, a nurse practitioner and chief medical officer of Pineapple Healthcare, a primary care and HIV/AIDS specialist located in Orlando, Florida, told ABC News that watching the lack of progress made in the HIV/AIDS crisis for the Hispanic and Latino population is like "traveling back in time."

"When I say traveling back in time for the Hispanic/Latino population with HIV, I mean [it's like] they are living before 2000," he said, "Their understanding of treatment and how to access it is in that pre-2000 world. … The state of HIV and AIDS in the Hispanic/Latino population in the United States right now is a few steps back from the general American population."

He said many Hispanic/Latino HIV patients come to the United States unaware of their HIV status. If they are aware of their status, they come from countries where prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is hard to find or doesn't exist.


Estimated new HIV infections by race and ethnicity in U.S., 2022
CDC

When they get to the United States, they be afraid or unsure of where or how to access health care. Even Hispanic/Latino Americans whose families have been here for generations, have trouble accessing health care due to racial and ethnic disparities, Suarez said.

Previous research has shown Hispanic/Latino Americans with HIV reported experiencing health care discrimination, which could be a barrier to accessing care.
Facing discrimination, stigma

Hispanic and Latino patients with HIV report facing discrimination in health care, experts told ABC News. A CDC report published in 2022 found between 2018 and 2020, nearly 1 in 4 Hispanic patients with HIV said they experienced health care discrimination.

Hispanic men were more likely to face discrimination than Hispanic women and Black or African American Hispanic patients were more likely than white Hispanic patients to face discrimination, according to the report.

There may also be stigma -- both within the general population and within their own communities -- associated with HIV infection that could prevent patients from accessing services, according to the experts.

Suarez said one of his most recent patients, who is Cuban, traveled two hours to a clinic outside of their city to make sure no one in their familial and social circles would know their status.


Prevalence of HIV health care discrimination reported by Hispanic and Latino adults in U.S.
CDC

"The interesting part is that even though I speak with them like, 'You understand that everything that happens within these walls is federally protected, that it is private information. No one will ever know your information, and our goal is for you to get access healthcare. You can do this in your own city,'" Suarez said.

"Now, because of the stigma, they will travel long distances to avoid contact with anyone and make sure that no one knows their status. So, stigma is a huge factor," he continued.

Rodriguez said this stigma and mistrust has led to many Hispanic and Latino Americans to not seek medical care unless something is seriously wrong, which may result in missed HIV diagnoses or a missed opportunity to receive post-exposure prophylaxis, which can reduce the risk of HIV when taken within 72 hours after a possible HIV exposure.
Making resources 'available, attainable and achievable'

Experts said one way to lower rates is to make information on how to reduce risk as well as how to get tested and treated available in other languages, such as Spanish, and making sure it is culturally congruent.

However, Rodriguez says translating documents is not enough. In the early 2010s, when the CDC was disseminating its national strategy to reduce HIV infection, the agency began to circulate materials on how to reduce HIV incidence, reducing stigma and increasing use of condoms for sex, Rodriguez said.

He said that of a compendium of 30 interventions, maybe one was in Spanish. When he took the materials back to his native Puerto Rico, many were having trouble understanding the materials because it has been translated by someone who is of Mexican heritage.

Secondly, rather than the materials being written in Spanish, they had been translated from English to Spanish, which doesn't always translate well, Rodriguez said.

"When we talk about Hispanics, we have to talk about, first of all, the culture. Our culture is very complex. Not one Spanish language can speak to all of the Hispanic communities," he said. "And then we also have to look at the generations of Hispanics. Are you first generation, second generation, third generation? "

He added that the key is making resources "available, attainable and achievable."

This month, the White House convened a summit to discuss raising awareness of HIV among Hispanic and Latino Americans and to discuss strengthening efforts to address HIV in Hispanic and Latino communities.

Mayer said it's also important to make sure information is disseminated on social media that is culturally tailored for Hispanic and Latino experiences.

"It's important for social media to seem culturally relevant, to make sure that they understand that HIV is not just a disease of old white guys, and that they may have a substantial risk," he said. "Make sure that they're educated by what they can do to protect themselves since we have highly effective pre-exposure prophylaxis, and we have ways to decrease STIs with a doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis.

The experts added that having more Hispanics and Latinos represented in medicine, research and public health may encourage more Hispanic and Latino Americans with HIV or at risk of HIV to seek care or treatment.

"Seeing and being able to recognize that your healthcare provider looks like you, sounds like you, in some way it represents you, is a key aspect of getting people on treatment and access,' Suarez said. "And not only that, but keeping them in treatment and having them come back and stay and keep that going, that's a key issue."

Forensic probe begins into Tata's iPhone plant after fire incident

The fire incident affects Apple's India suppliers

By Akash Pandey
Sep 29, 2024


What's the story

A forensic investigation is now underway into the fire, that broke out at Tata Electronics' Hosur factory in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.

The factory, which makes components for Apple iPhones, was badly hit by the fire.

Reports suggest the blaze started close to a building in the Tata complex, which is all set to kick off full-scale iPhone production in the coming months.


Operations paused

Production halt and investigation status

The factory usually takes a breather on Sundays, and it's still a toss-up whether the state authorities will give the green light for production to kick off again by Monday.As of now, neither Tata Electronics nor Apple has replied to the questions about what went down.The root of the fire is still being probed, but Tata Electronics has promised to do everything it can to keep its employees and stakeholders safe.

Supply disruption

Fire's impact on Apple's supply chain

The fire at the Hosur factory is a big blow for Apple's suppliers in India, especially since the tech giant is trying to move its supply chain out of China.A fire official said the blaze began in a chemical storage area.This incident comes on the heels of the massive fire at Foxlink, another Apple supplier, last year, which led to production being halted after part of their Andhra Pradesh assembly facility collapsed.

Aftermath

Fire extinguished, workers hospitalized

According to K.M. Sarayu, a district administrative official, the fire at Tata Electronics' Hosur plant has been "completely put out," and the fumes have stopped.Two workers from the plant who were hospitalized have been discharged today.Sarayu also confirmed that a forensic team from Chennai has been dispatched to the location for further investigation.


Facility details

Impact on surrounding buildings and workers

We still don't know if the fire has impacted nearby buildings, including one that was supposed to kick off iPhone assembly by year-end.Police on the scene confirmed that there were no casualties or injuries from the incident.However, around 11 workers who were close to the accident site experienced suffocation and were taken to the Government General Hospital.

“He began to complain of sharp pain in the stomach”

Official documents obtained by The Insider confirm Navalny was poisoned in prison

Roman Dobrokhotov

THE INSIDER
29 September 2024




The Insider has obtained access to hundreds of official documents related to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death in the Polar Wolf penal colony in the Russian Far North on Feb. 16, 2024. Officially, Navalny’s death was attributed to natural causes, and Russia’s Investigative Committee stated in July that the case “does not have a criminal nature.” However, the contents of the documents in The Insider’s possession demonstrate that Russian authorities consistently removed references to symptoms Navalny was documented to have been suffering — symptoms that did not fit with the Russian state’s official cause of death. As medical experts confirm, these symptoms clearly indicate that Navalny was poisoned.


RU

A collection of files at The Insider's disposal contains two versions of a document signed by Russian investigator Alexander Varapaev. The document in question concerns the Russian Investigative Committee’s decision not to open a criminal case in connection with the Feb. 16, 2024 death of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison in the Russian Far North. An early version of Varapaev’s decision describes Navalny's symptoms as follows:

“On 16.02.2024, convict A.A. Navalny felt a sharp deterioration of his health condition while in exercise yard No. 2 of the EPKT [unified cell-type housing unit], about which he informed the duty officer of the institution, who took the latter out of the premises of the exercise yard to the premises of section No. 4 of the EPKT.

“There, convict A.A. Navalny lay down on the floor and began to complain of sharp pain in the abdominal area; he started reflexive ejection of his stomach contents, had convulsions, and lost consciousness, which was immediately reported to the medical staff of the correctional facility.”

The first version of the decision

The redacted version of the decision







The symptoms described by Varapaev are consistent with those that would have been expected had Navalny been poisoned. However, in a later (and final) version of the same decision, all mention of abdominal pain, vomiting, and convulsions had been removed.

The Insider has another important document at its disposal — an inventory of “seized objects” taken from the scene of Navalny’s death. The list includes “samples of vomit,” which the document indicates were submitted for examination. However, neither the fact of the examination nor Navalny’s vomiting were ever officially reported.




The list of seized objects


The documents confirm the words of Yulia Navalnaya, who stated that “in the last minutes before his death, [Alexei] complained of acute pain in his stomach.” Nevertheless, the official conclusion reached by Russian authorities claimed that Navalny had died of natural causes, and that the incident “does not have a criminal nature.”

Feb. 16, 2024, was not the first time Navalny suffered a medical emergency as the result of the Russian state’s deliberate attempts to murder him — and it is not the first time that the official explanation given by Russian officials has diverged from established medical facts. In August 2020, Russian FSB agents poisoned Navalny using a variant of the Novichok nerve agent, which took effect while the opposition politician was aboard a flight from Tomsk back to Moscow. His symptoms were so severe that the plane made an emergency landing in Omsk, where medical professionals likely saved Navalny’s life by treating him with the chemical nerve agent antidote Atropine. However, the official version put out to explain the onset of Navalny’s symptoms on the airplane was that the patient had simply been suffering from the results of “low blood-sugar” levels.

According to ER doctor Alexander Polupan, who treated Navalny in Omsk City Hospital No. 1 after the Novichok poisoning in 2020, the symptoms observed by medical professionals in the case of Navalny’s death in prison in 2024 do not fit with the officially declared diagnosis:
“The official cause of death — a heart rhythm disorder — would in no way explain the symptoms described in the resolution: sharp abdominal pain, vomiting, or seizures. These symptoms can hardly be explained by anything other than poisoning. The short interval between the abdominal pain and the convulsions suggests the possibility of exposure to an organophosphorus agent, for instance — the same class of substances as Novichok, but in this case it may have been applied internally rather than topically.”

Other doctors of various types interviewed by The Insider agree with Polupan's conclusions.

Further evidence, albeit indirect, of the use of a poisonous substance can be observed in the authorities’ reluctance to release Navalny's body for several days following his death, along with their refusal to allow for an independent examination of biological samples. While suspicion surrounding the true cause of Navalny’s death arose almost immediately after it was announced, it was not until now that the fact of Navalny's poisoning has been confirmed by official documents.

Egypt refuses to free jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah: sister

Alaa Abdel Fattah spent most of the past decade behind bars and his detention has become a symbol of Egypt’s return to autocratic rule under President el-Sisi.

The New Arab Staff & Agencies
29 September, 2024

Protesters hold placards during a demonstration in support of jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah outside the Foreign Office in London on July 3, 2023. [Getty]


Egyptian authorities have refused to release dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah despite serving out his five-year sentence, his sister said Sunday.

Abdel Fattah, 42, was arrested on September 29, 2019.

Just over two years later, he was handed a five-year sentence for "spreading false news" by sharing a Facebook post about police brutality.

His family on Thursday urged the government of Britain, where Abdel Fattah holds citizenship, to ensure his release this weekend.

But on Sunday his sister Mona Seif said in a video posted to social media that the authorities "refused a request" to consider the two years of pre-trial detention as time served towards his sentence.

She said the authorities are instead counting his sentence as having started from the date that it was ratified, and has thereby set the date of his release for January 2027.

Seif had told reporters in London on Thursday that "if he is not out by September 29, it is an open-ended sentence".

A writer and computer programmer, Abdel Fattah has spent the better part of more than a decade behind bars, having been jailed repeatedly under successive presidents since Egypt's 2011 uprising.

He was granted UK citizenship through his British-born mother in 2022 while he was in prison.

Rights groups say there are tens of thousands of political prisoners in Egypt, held under poor conditions and subject to ill treatment and abuses by the authorities.

On Thursday, more than 59 Egyptian and international rights groups signed the appeal, expressing concern at Abdel-Fattah could not be released for years into the future.

In the statement, the groups "expressed their deep alarm at news, shared by his lawyer, that the Egyptian authorities do not plan to release Alaa until January 2027."

The statement did not say how the lawyer obtained this information.

They warned that not releasing Abdel-Fattah on Sunday would violate the country's penal code, which deducts time spent in detention before trial from the total sentence.

Abdel-Fattah and his family have campaigned for his release for years.


In 2022, he intensified a hunger strike in prison and halted all calories and water to coincide with the start of the UN climate conference, known as COP27, in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Concerns for his health intensified as the family was barred from seeing him .

They stepped up their campaign to draw attention to his case and those of other political prisoners in Egypt.

He stopped the strike after a matter of days, after he collapsed and fell unconscious, describing it later in a letter to his family.

The hunger strike drew attention to Egypt’s heavy suppression of speech and political activity.

Since 2013, el-Sissi’s government has cracked down on dissidents and critics, jailing thousands, virtually banning protests and monitoring social media.

Human Rights Watch estimated in 2019 that as many as 60,000 political prisoners are incarcerated in Egyptian prisons.

“Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan”

‘All Kurds should unite and speak out against isolation and injustice’

Mothers at the Justice Vigil continue their ‘Give voice to freedom’ protests demanding an end to isolation. Afife Kartal called for participation in the rally in Amed on 13 October and appealed to all Kurds: “We must raise our voices against isolation."


ANF
AMED
Sunday, 29 September 2024

Mothers of the Justice Vigil continue their ‘Give voice to freedom’ protests demanding an end to the isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and the rights violations against political prisoners. The mothers come together every fortnight on Mondays and make press statements.

Afife Kartal, mother of prisoner Muhammed Kartal, called for participation in the central rally to be held in Amed (Diyarbakır) on 13 October and said, “The aim of our action is the end of isolation and the physical freedom of Mr Öcalan. We are calling out to the whole world to stand against isolation.”

Speaking to ANF, Afife Kartal emphasised that they are following the cause of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and said, “Our children sacrificed their lives in his footsteps. He is the leader of 50 million Kurds. Let the isolation be lifted; let the Kurdish people come together with their Leader. If Mr Öcalan speaks, our young people will not die, our nature will not be slaughtered, crises and wars will end. This state is killing our people, nature and animals. It ignores our culture and language. We want an honourable peace.”

Afife Kartal called on all Kurds to participate in the rally against isolation to be held in Amed on 13 October, saying “We must raise our voices against isolation. Every Kurd with dignity should stand against isolation and raise their voice.”

Stating that the condition of sick prisoners has also worsened, Kartal said, “Sick prisoners should be released as soon as possible. The prisoners whose sentence is over should be released. They bear hostility towards Kurds in every way. I underwent angiography twice. My toes are broken due to diabetes, and I can't walk anymore, but that doesn’t stop me going to demonstrations even in this state. If we don't raise a voice today, no one will tomorrow. All Kurds should unite and speak out against isolation and injustice. Kurds should stand up for their struggle. No one should fall into the tricks and traps of AKP and MHP. Let us starve but not give up our honour. On 13 October there will be a rally against isolation in Amed. Everyone should attend this rally, and we should raise our voices for the physical freedom of Mr Öcalan. We want an honourable peace to come to our Kurdistan. Our hearts should not bleed anymore. I don't want money, I don't want worldly goods, but we want Mr Öcalan to be among us, 4 parts of Kurdistan to be united, peace to come, our children to be released from prisons. We will raise our voices for this at the rally.”

TJA activists gathered in Amed and called on people to attend the “Freedom Rally” on 13 October.


ANF
AMED
Sunday, 29 September 2024

The Free Women’s Movement (Tevgera Jinên Azad-TJA) gathered at the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Amed Provincial Organization on Saturday to discuss the difficulties experienced in the past two years. The meeting ended with a call to everyone to attend the “Freedom Rally” to be held in Amed on 13 October.

Adalet Kaya, Amed MP for the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), said that they discussed the problems experienced and the deficiencies in organization. Addressing all women’s movements in Amed, Kaya said: “In the territory we live in, we are faced with a central administration that does not recognize its own constitution and increasingly escalates war policies. Poverty, deprivation, femicides, child abuse and all the social problems we experience are connected to the war being waged in the country. We must raise our voices and reject war and isolation at the rally we will hold in Amed on 13 October. We must defend honorable peace against war and freedom against conspiracies in Amed. We must also call for the freedom of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan and protest isolation. Because the freedom of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan means the solution tothe Kurdish question.”

TJA activist Havva Can said: “The entire Kurdish people are under isolation in the person of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan. In order to break this isolation, we as Kurdish women, will be on the streets on 13 October.”

TJA activist Adle Fidan said: “We call on everyone to raise their voices from Amed on 13 October with the philosophy of Jin jiyan azadî.”

Central rally in Amed on 13 October to demand “Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan”

The Platform of Democratic Institutions announced that a central rally will be held in Amed (Diyarbakır) on 13 October to demand the freedom of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan.


ANF
AMED
Friday, 13 September 2024

The global campaign for an end to the absolute isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, for his physical freedom and for the solution of the Kurdish question continues. As the 26th anniversary of the 9 October Conspiracy, which marked the beginning of the international conspiracy against the Kurdish People's Leader, approaches, mass actions and events will be organised across the world, mainly in Kurdistan and Turkey.

The Platform of Democratic Institutions made a statement at the Association of Southeastern Journalists (GGC) in Amed (Diyarbakır) on Thursday. The Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır and representatives of the organisations taking part in the platform attended the meeting.

The platform announced that the campaign for ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a political solution to the Kurdish question’ has reached a new stage. According to the platform's statement titled ‘We Resist Against the Conspiracy, We Meet in Amed for Freedom!’ the final of the actions and activities that will continue until 13 October will take place in Amed. On 13 October, a central rally will be held in Amed.

The press statement, the Turkish version of which was read by DBP PM (Party Assembly) member Elif Turan and the Kurdish version by Ferhat Ertaş from Ma Music, said the following:

“It has been 44 years since the military coup of 12 September 1980, which has taken its place in the black pages of history with its violations of the right to life and inhumane practices. The 12 September coup deeply transformed the official ideology, state-society and state-democracy relations in Turkey and reinforced the monist, denialist and assimilationist system. The 1982 Constitution, which was the product of the coup d'état, and the constitutional amendments that took place in the following period strengthened the political and social designs of the coup plotters.

On the anniversary of the 12 September military coup, the shirt of nation and belief based on monism is being tried to be put on diversities, local democracy is being denied through an over-centralised state formation, the field of democratic politics is being poisoned with fascist delusions and subjects, all kinds of tyranny against women is being put into practice through the male-dominated ideology, ecological destruction is deepening day by day through an obedience to capitalism and capital at the level of faith, and hunger runs rampant throughout the country. In other words, the political design of 12 September still hangs over the peoples of Turkey and Kurdistan like a nightmare in the forty-four years that have passed.

All kinds of democratic rights struggles, especially a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, and objections against the state in defence of society, nature and life, are being tried to be disrupted. The AKP-MHP fascism, the heir of 12 September, is expanding its areas of domination and developing comprehensive attacks against society's windpipes. The military attacks that deepen the deadlock in the Kurdish question and spill over the borders, the suppression of the demands for democracy by means of force, the oppression of the civilian sphere by all kinds of lawlessness, the systematic and ideological attacks on women, the deprivation of future for the youth, the injustice in the distribution of income, the horrible levels of income inequality and the desire to transfer the burden of the economic crisis to the workers and the poor have become the summary of the current picture in Turkey.

In Turkey, almost everyone shares a common fate under the regime's oppression, whether they demand recognition for their identity, want to protect nature or struggle for a future. We, who are the addressees of the multifaceted attacks of the AKP-MHP fascism, share a common destiny with our identities, beliefs, lives and nature. The way to say no to this common fate drawn by the rulers and to build a new life is to increase the common struggle.

The strategy of depriving the society of breath and shattering the opposition groups, which was initiated with the absolute isolation of Mr Abdullah Öcalan and the state of incommunicado, has brought nothing but violence, death, hunger and instability to the peoples of Turkey since 2015. The Kurdish question, which has been driven into a deadlock by absolute isolation, has become the cause of multiple crises in Turkey. On the other hand, with the policy of absolute isolation and non-communication, even the crumbs of democracy were wanted to be swept away, deep poverty spread to wide social segments, and no space was left for the search for rights.

At the stage we have reached, the AKP-MHP alliance's strategy of suffocating the society and shattering the social opposition is no longer holding together thanks to the stubborn and strong resistance of peoples, beliefs, women and different social segments. The AKP-MHP alliance has largely lost its social support. Despite the law enforcement and judicial power at its disposal, a large media apparatus and all kinds of material resources, the AKP-MHP alliance has decayed.

We believe that we can make the strongest breakthrough to increase the common struggle of the peoples and the oppressed against this rotten power bloc by ensuring the success of the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign. Because we know that the AKP-MHP fascist alliance generates itself from the denial of the Kurdish people's reality and the criminalisation of the Kurdish political movement, especially Mr Abdullah Öcalan, and its objection. Therefore, taking our struggle against the fascist power to the next level will open the doors to the construction of a democratic life.

The state of absolute isolation and incommunicado imposed on Mr Öcalan, which is practiced as a management strategy of the current regime, is no longer limited to Kurdistan, but has spread all over Turkey, deepening the deadlock in the Kurdish question, which is the litmus paper of democracy and peace, and creating a political knot. Without untying this political knot, it is not possible to get rid of multiple crises. We must increase our struggle to untie this political knot that has been tied to democracy and peace in Turkey. By saying ‘peace against war, freedom against isolation’, we can write together the prescription to save Turkey from the multiple crises it is in.

On the anniversary of the fascist coup, we would like to state once again that the defeat of the AKP-MHP fascist alliance means the defeat of the 12 September regime. It means the opening of the doors to a democratic order by getting rid of the coup mechanism. It means ensuring that the construction of a democratic life will flourish again in the hands of oppressed peoples and beliefs. Based on the fate-determining character of the struggle against the regime of absolute incommunicado in İmralı, we say ‘Let's break the isolation together and march to freedom’.

In October, the global campaign ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ will complete its first year. This struggle, which was initiated by world-renowned intellectuals, writers, artists, ecologists, politicians and lawyers, has spread to all parts of the world, especially Kurdistan, with the support of Turkish intellectuals in Istanbul. On 18 November, the Gemlik Freedom March reached its goal despite all obstacles, and a message of insistence on freedom was sent from Gemlik to the whole world.

The initiatives and applications by artists and lawyers made the isolation more visible; between 01-15 February, the cities of Northern Kurdistan were illuminated with the torch of the ‘Freedom Walkers’, and on 8 March and 21 March the determination for freedom reached its peak with the witnessing of millions. The resistance of the prisoners against isolation, who participated in every moment of the campaign with great sacrifices, was enlarged with the ‘Give voice to freedom’ actions in front of the prisons, the ‘End the isolation’ actions in front of the AKP buildings, and the ‘Ensure justice, implement law’ actions in front of the Ministry of Justice. The ‘Freedom Readings’ led by women and youth have been held in hundreds of neighbourhoods, streets and villages throughout the summer.

As of today, we are bringing a new stage to the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign. Our Freedom March, which focuses on achieving results in the struggle of the Kurdish people to ‘protect their existence and ensure their freedom’, will be further expanded with the campaign ‘We Resist Against the Conspiracy, We Meet in Amed for Freedom!’, which we will carry out from 12 September to 13 October. In this context, we invite all democratic forces in Kurdistan and Turkey to the campaign of our Freedom March, which we have started to defeat the 9 October International conspiracy and the conspirators, to shatter the İmralı Torture system and to achieve a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, which will last until 13 October.

Let's fight for our democratic future and freedom side by side. With this belief, determination and stubbornness, we call on all democratic, revolutionary forces and social opposition of the geography to our campaign, which we have launched with the slogan ‘We Resist Against the Conspiracy, We Meet in Amed for Freedom!’ and which we will conclude with a big rally to be held in Amed on 13 October. On the 26th anniversary of the International Conspiracy, we will carry the struggle for solution and freedom to every time and place where life flows. With our campaign that we will continue for a month, we will once again shout freedom against the slavery impositions of the conspirators and say ‘Never without freedom! Let victory be our promise: The putschists, conspirators and those who insist on isolation will lose, and freedom will win!”

TURKISH KURDISTAN

Bakırhan: We struggle against a government that is hostile to forests, rivers and mountains

Speaking at an ecology conference in Balıkesir, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan said, “Let's get rid of this government that is dragging us into the abyss and bringing Turkey to the brink of destruction.”


ANF
BALIKESİR
Sunday, 29 September 2024, 15:12


The Peoples' Democracy and Equality Party (DEM Party) Balıkesir Provincial Organisation is holding a conference on ecological destruction.

The ‘Balıkesir Ecology Conference’ is taking place at Reha Yurdakul Cultural Centre in Burhaniye district with the participation of DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, many residents from Balıkesir as well as neighbouring provinces.

The conference opened with the screening of Hakan Tosun's documentary on ecological destruction. Speaking at the opening, DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan started his speech by commemorating Reşit Kibar, who was murdered on 3 September in Borçka, Artvin while trying to protect the forests.

Reacting to the pro-rent logic of the government and capital, Tuncer Bakırhan drew attention to the ‘Bread and Justice Meetings’ they have been organising for a few months and said: “Wheat producers in Nusaybin, sunflower producers in Tekirdağ, shopkeepers, fishermen, women, youth, those who seek justice and law are all revealing the reality of the government everywhere.”

Bakırhan continued: “In addition to the struggle waged by the friends of the Kurds in the quest for democracy, the struggle waged in the Aegean region, Balıkesir and Kazdağları against ecocide is very important and valuable. The struggle in this field is at least as valuable as the struggle for democracy. I would like to thank all my friends who are fighting this struggle for their efforts.”

Criticizing the fact that the government is making it even easier to commit ecocide with omnibus bills, Bakırhan said, “The government relies on its numerical majority, it relies on its partners who think like itself. It trusts the opposition, which is not strong and serious. Since they are faced with an opposition that makes their work easier, they can do everything more easily.”

Pointing out that the government has amended the forest law 32 times in 22 years, Bakırhan said that they are struggling against a government that is hostile to forests, green, rivers, mountains, resisting Kurds and women.

Bakırhan stated: “I am saying it here for the first time. They are preparing a new law proposal for mining companies, which are constantly trying to propose new laws to the government in order to have easier access, to obtain licences more easily and to obtain more rent. They want there to be no administrative obstacles in front of them. They are already overcoming the obstacles in some way, but they want to eliminate them altogether. Our job is difficult, but 80 percent of Turkey thinks like us. We have only one shortcoming. We are unable to organise, to come together, to build a strong ground against this savage capital, the palace, the ecocidal power that works for war.”

Remarking that 155 mining companies in Balıkesir received 279 mining exploration-operation licences, Bakırhan concluded as follows: “Therefore, all the districts of Balıkesir are in the same situation and Kazdağları has become a centre of gold mining. There are several foreign and local companies. Whether goreign or domestic, the aim of the companies is rent. These companies are so reckless that they work to obtain the highest rent at the lowest cost, just like the capitalist system does. Where should those people who are engaged in animal husbandry, agriculture, fruit and vegetables go? No one cares about this, the government does not care at all. Then we should not care about this government either. Let's get rid of this government that is dragging us into the abyss and bringing Turkey to the brink of destruction.”

‘Isolation and political solution in the Middle East’ conference at the Labour University of Geneva

A conference in Geneva discussed the absolute isolation of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution in the Middle East with a focus on Kurdistan and Palestine.


ANF
GENEVA
Sunday, 29 September 2024, 14:30

As the total isolation imposed on Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan enters its fourth year, the "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question" initiative launched by the friends of Kurds worldwide on 10 October 2023, continues with various events.

As part of the events to be held in October, a conference on Kurdistan, the situation of Kurdish women and isolation was held in Geneva on Saturday.

The conference ‘For a political solution in the Middle East: Palestine, Kurdistan - Intifada, Serhildan‘, organised by the Geneva Democratic Kurdish Community Centre (NCDK-Ge) and the Swiss Kurdish Women's Union (YJK-S), was held at the Amphitheatre of the Labour University of Geneva (Université ouvrière de Genève).


The conference, which was supported by the Communist Revolutionary Party (PCR) and the internationalist Serhildan (Uprising) Network, was attended by HDP MP Ayşe Acar Başaran, PCR representative Luc Rolli, activist Nadina from the Solidarity Committee for Rojava and a representative from the Solidarity Network for Palestine.

The conference started with a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs of the world revolution.

Ayşe Acar Başaran, who made the first speech at the conference, referred to the international conspiracy against Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, which started on 9 October 1998, and made a presentation on the system of absolute isolation and torture that has been going on in İmralı High Security Prison, where Öcalan is held, for 25 years.

Ayşe Acar Başaran stated that the torture of isolation in İmralı under the supervision of international states has spread to the whole country. She said: “The occupation of Kurdistan and the genocidal attacks against the Kurdish people are continued today with attacks against Kurdish politics, Kurdish language, nature, women and children.”

Referring to the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign, which was launched globally by the friends of the Kurdish people on 10 October 2023 against all these attacks carried out on the basis of isolation, occupation and genocide, Ayşe Acar Başaran said, “At this stage, internationalist solidarity must be increased. Every support from the friends of the Kurdish people will make this campaign a success.”

The conference continued with a presentation by Luc Rolli, representative of the PCR (Communist Revolutionary Party).

Luc Rolli said that the capitalist system and especially NATO, which acts under the control of the USA, sends peoples to war in order to expand its sphere of influence.

Rolli stated that the genocidal attacks carried out by the Turkish and Israeli governments for decades are the Third World War waged by the capitalist powers against the peoples of the world and especially the Middle East.

Emphasising that the Rojava Revolution created by the Kurdish Freedom Struggle and the struggle of the Palestinian people have created a spirit of resistance against the capitalist system, Rolli added the following: “These struggles will secure the right to self-determination of the peoples in the Middle East and pave the way for democratic and social confederalism that will lead to the liberation of the peoples of the Middle East and the whole world.”

Luc Rolli's presentation was followed by the second part of the conference, where presentations were made by the activists of the Committee for Solidarity with Rojava and the Network for Solidarity with Palestine.

After the question and answer session, posters of Abdullah Öcalan were raised by the participants as part of the ‘Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, a Political Solution to the Kurdish Question’ campaign and the conference was concluded.

Culture and Art Campaign for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan initiative in Cologne

"We are launching a Culture and Art Campaign for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan," said TEV-ÇAND and Kevana Zêrîn adding that they will hold a big event at the Cologne Dom Cathedral.


ANF
COLOGNE


TEV-ÇAND and Kevana Zêrîn will hold a big event for Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan in Cologne, tomorrow.

Performers, painters, theater actors and folk dance actors will participate in the event titled "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan". The event will be held in front of the Dom Cathedral between 1 and 5 pm.

Speaking to ANF, Hozan Şemdîn said: "Singers and musicians will attend the event with their own instruments. We will all wear national clothes. Our painters will exhibit their paintings. We invite all our people to this event."

Hozan Şemdîn also said that hundreds of TEV-ÇAND members from all branches of art will be present at the event.

During the four-hour program, songs about Abdullah Öcalan and Kurdistan will be sung, and the dance groups will perform folkloric dances. In addition, information will be given about the condition of Abdullah Öcalan.

'Culture and art campaign for Abdullah Öcalan's freedom'

TEV-ÇAND and Kevana Zêrîn published a joint written statement to present the event saying: "We support the Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan, Political Solution to the Kurdish Question campaign."

The statement also drew attention to 10 December, the day on which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted at the United Nations in 1948.

"The 75th anniversary of this declaration will be on 10 December 2023. The Turkish state accepted this declaration in 1949. However, the inalienable human rights of the Kurds have been systematically violated by the Turkish state every day for 75 years."

The statement also underlined that Abdullah Öcalan was the theorist and philosophical leader of the Kurdish Freedom Movement and that he had been kept under heavy isolation for 24 years. "The isolation imposed on Rêber Apo [Abdullah Öcalan] is essentially an isolation imposed on his political ideas and his proposal and work to have a successful peace process. Isolation is illegal and is a form of torture. In order to break the isolation, we are launching the 'Culture and Art Campaign for the Freedom of Abdullah Öcalan'."

The statement pointed out that Kurdish literature, history, music and art are denied and banned by the Turkish state and said: "This is cultural genocide. All kinds of oppressive violence are applied to the Kurdish people and unlimited assimilation policies are implemented. All of these are crimes. We reject this cultural genocide. We are fighting for it to end."

The joint statement ended as follows: "As Kurdistan artists, we do not accept the isolation imposed on Rêber Apo. We declare that we will participate with our art in the events organized to break the isolation and achieve Rêber Apo's physical freedom."

SYRIAN KURDISTAN

Autonomous Administration sets up crisis desk for Syrian returnees from Lebanon

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria set up a crisis desk for the safe resettlement of those returning from Lebanon due to Israeli attacks.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Sunday, 29 September 2024

According to the United Nations, more than 50,000 people have fled to Syria as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Syrian media report much higher numbers. The Democratic Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) declared itself ready to accept Syrian returnees from Lebanon earlier this week. As the DAANES Department for Foreign Affairs announced today, a crisis management team has been formed for this purpose. Thousands of people have already arrived in the region.

Gulistan Eli, Deputy Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), delivered a statement of next steps at the border between the Autonomous Region and the Damascus-controlled area of Syria, saying that the crisis unit had been decided at an emergency meeting and comprised of representatives from the institutions responsible for hosting the refugees. The aim is to ensure the safe return of Syrians from Lebanon and to provide for their accommodation.

Gulistan Eli explained that refugees are received and registered by the crisis unit upon their arrival in North and East Syria. After their identities have been established, people who come from the region and can stay with their families can continue their journey. For refugees without this option, the DAANES will provide accommodation. The crisis unit will monitor the accommodation process.

Gulistan Eli called for support from the international community and the reopening of the Til Koçer (Al-Yarubiyah) border crossing for humanitarian aid. The border crossing with Iraq was closed in 2018 by decision of the UN Security Council at Russia's insistence. The DAANES representative called on the government in Damascus to facilitate access to the autonomous region for refugees.

1300 Syrians returning from Lebanon have reached Raqqa Canton.


ANF
RAQQA
Saturday, 28 September 2024

Thousands of Syrian citizens in Lebanon are returning to Syria due to the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Lebanese representation of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria established a committee on 24 September for Syrian refugees returning to the region.

Stating that 1,300 Syrian citizens have reached Raqqa Canton so far, Hesen El Xabûr, head of the Raqqa Canton Drivers Union, noted that more families returning from Lebanon will also arrive in the city.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, in coordination with the Social Affairs and Labour Council and the Relief Office, announced that a large number of buses have been arranged to bring refugees from Homs and Damascus to the region and that their names will be registered to provide the necessary assistance.

In addition, 3 Syrian families arrived from Lebanon to Girê Spî refugee camp in Ain Issa.

TURKIYE'S WAR ON KURDISTAN

Gündüz: We will shout our demands from Amed to the whole world

On 13 October, a large rally will take place in Amed as part of the campaign "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question". Despite the threat of repression, mobilization is in full swing.


ANF
AMED
Wednesday, 25 September 2024,

The situation in Turkey and in North Kurdistan in particular is becoming increasingly dramatic.

Isolation and repression have affected large parts of society and the rule of law and human rights can no longer even be spoken of. People are starving, and the environment is being destroyed.

For over 42 months there has been no sign of life from the Kurdish people's leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is kept in isolation on the prison island of Imrali. On 10 October 2023, the global campaign "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan and a political solution to the Kurdish question" was launched.

On 13 October in Amed (Diyarbakir) there will be a rally under the slogan "We resist the plot and gather in Amed for freedom".

In an interview with ANF, the co-chair of the provincial association of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Mehmet Şirin Gündüz, spoke about the mobilization and the background of the action.

"Isolation has affected all areas of life"

Gündüz spoke about the consequences of isolation on Imrali, and said: "Today, isolation is intensifying not only on Imrali, but in all areas of life in Kurdistan. In the person of Mr. Öcalan, an entire people is isolated. The centuries-old policy of extermination and assimilation by the statist mentality is manifested in the special war against the Kurdish people. Therefore, we do not consider isolation to be a situation of one person or in a prison.

This isolation also lacks any legal basis. It is the result of a completely politicized, hostile attitude. Today, isolation is showing its effects everywhere in our region, everywhere in the Middle East. It is impossible to find another example in the world of such isolation conditions without any humanitarian and legal basis. Turkey is committing a crime with its isolation policy."

"The issue of isolation itself is being pushed off the agenda"

Establishing a causal link between the deep social crises, the economic crisis, ecological destruction, war and isolation, Gündüz continued: "People are now at the end of their strength. The solution to all these crises lies in the perspective that Mr. Öcalan can show people. Absolute incommunicado detention blocks the way to dialogue and solution.

The government is running away from the solution and is determined to drag the country into the abyss. It ignores the demands of society and only tries to keep itself alive. Raising the question of isolation is also being isolated. It is as if isolation is not an issue.

We will continue to shout loudly and point out whatever they ignore. The Turkish media ignores every action against isolation and therefore does not reflect this in society. In contrast, we continue our activities everywhere. We will not stop these actions until the AKP government puts isolation on the agenda and starts a dialogue process with Mr. Öcalan; until Mr. Öcalan's physical freedom is ensured."

"We will reach the world from Amed"

Gündüz called on the public to attend the rally planned for 13 October in Amed, and said: "We defend freedom against isolation, dialogue against isolation, a solution against isolation. There are hundreds of ill prisoners in the prisons. There are prisoners whose release is postponed even though they have served their sentences.

In view of the prison conditions, we demand that the gates of the prisons to freedom be opened to all sick prisoners. We demand the freedom of our friends who are being held hostage.

We demand that the ongoing isolation of Abdullah Öcalan be ended immediately. Our entire people are invited to our rally in Amed, where we will shout out these demands together. Our entire people should demand freedom and negotiation from Amed and raise their hands for peace. We will proclaim the demands of the Kurdish people of Amed to the entire world."

A Myanmar revolutionary battles an old enemy with new allies

Fighting has kept Saw Kaw from his family, but he sees a day when it and the country are united.

By Aye A. Mon with photos and video by Chan Aung for RFA Burmese
2024.09.29
Karen State, Myanmar

Cobra Column commander Saw Kaw plays his guitar in a secret camp in Myawaddy township, Karen state, Myanmar, July 12, 2024.
Chan Aung/RFA


This story is the fourth in a five-part series exploring the war in Myanmar and what might come if the fighting stops. Read this story in Burmese.

Tall, square-jawed and with a facial expression set to stern, Saw Kaw looks every bit the rebel commander that he is.




But as he sits in a secret camp of Myawaddy township in Kayin (Karen) state, strumming his guitar and singing songs he learned in church, it’s easy to wonder what shape the 37-year-old’s life might have taken had circumstances allowed.

As it was, Saw Kaw was born in a small village in eastern Myanmar and into one of the longest running insurgencies in the world. Almost ever since Burma gained independence from Great Britain in 1948, ethnic Karen forces from small villages in the mountainous areas near Thailand have battled successive military juntas for greater autonomy.

Among them was Saw Kaw’s father, who was a member of the Karen National Union, or KNU.

When Saw Kaw was seven, soldiers raided his village in search of his father, who wasn’t there at the time. Saw Kaw said they found and beat his uncles and an elderly grandfather instead, sending his mother, seven months pregnant at the time, fleeing into the surrounding jungle

.

An illustration shows seven-year-old Saw Kaw watching soldiers — who were looking for his father, a resistance fighter — torturing his relatives. (Rebel Pepper/RFA)

For safety reasons, he said the family has remained fractured ever since, constantly on guard that the military or their supporters could use one to get to another.

“Hello, Mom, how are you,” Saw Kaw sings, playing one of his favorite songs. “I miss you so much. Please pardon me as I cannot come back to you.”

A long struggle

The Karen are among the largest minority groups in Myanmar, which is thought to have more than 130 different ethnicities with various relationships with the Burman majority that has held the reins of power in the country.

The complicated ethnic make-up is seen as a barrier to lasting peace. In-roads other armies have made against junta forces to the north and west don’t necessarily indicate the country can emerge from its complicated civil war whole.

But the KNU has committed itself to the idea of a federation in which it and other groups have a high degree of authority over their own affairs but participate in a larger, national government. They are allied with the National Unity Government, a group of exiled former government officials helping to fund resistance movements and build a lasting peace should the military collapse.

Cobra Column commander Saw Kaw stands on Asia Road, near the site of what was formerly the Myanmar junta's Battalion 356, July 12, 2024. (Chan Aung/RFA)

As a military commander, Saw Kaw doesn’t have time to weigh all the possible political dynamics. But the force he controls – Cobra Column – is an unusual joint effort of seasoned fighters from ethnic armies and young, largely Burman revolutionaries who no longer wish to be governed by the junta. It is an NUG force, not a KNU one.

"I cannot precisely predict when this significant event will conclude, but I firmly believe that this war must come to an end,” he said. “It is not solely an arm revolution; the entire populace is involved.”

In the shared tragedy, he hopes a lasting cohesion can be formed.

READ MORE IN THIS SERIES

A new generation in Myanmar risks their lives for change

Love and struggle: A new generation in Myanmar’s civil war

For Burmese journalist, an uneasy safety in Thailand

A coup, then civil war

Many of the Karen are Christian due to a history of missionaries operating in the area during colonial rule, and Saw Kaw learned to play the guitar in his church. Whatever early musical aptitude he demonstrated didn’t much matter. He always knew what his future held – fighting for his people. After attending college in Thailand he returned home to join the Karen National Liberation Army, or KNLA.

His life has seen peace, however. In 2015, the KNU and the Myanmar military negotiated a ceasefire in the capital of Naypyidaw. Saw Kaw was part of the delegation.

In this Sept. 9, 2015, photo, Myanmar President Thein Sein greets representatives of armed ethnic groups at the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) meeting in Naypyidaw. (Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP)

By then, Myanmar’s military leaders began to open the country up to the world after decades of isolation. The agreement fell apart, though, in 2021 when Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing led a coup that pushed out the civilian government of the National League for Democracy, claiming election irregularities that it has yet to prove.

Some of the NLD members fled to Lay Kay Kaw, a town established with the help of the Japanese as a refuge for Karen displaced in the region’s long-simmering conflict.

The city, which was known as a “peace town” symbolizing the new detente between the military and rebel forces, became instead a locus where People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) sought training from people like Saw Kaw.

“With deep sympathy, I don't want anyone else to suffer as we have,” he said in an interview from his camp, not far from the front line where rebels are trying to hold off a large collection of government troops.

“If people in other places experienced what’s happening in this country, they wouldn’t be able to endure it. It’s truly unbearable.”

Cobra Column commander Saw Kaw near the front line in Myawaddy district, Karen state, May 8, 2023. (Courtesy of Saw Kaw)

Hunting former NLD members, the military attacked Lay Kay Kaw in December 2021, triggering a return of hostilities with the KNU and its armed units. Fighting escalated throughout 2022 and 2023, spreading to towns and villages in the Myawaddy, Kawkareik and Kyainseikgyi districts.

Initially, Saw Kaw said the fledgling PDF units tried to hold off the onslaught with old Tumi guns, flintlock rifles used against the British more than half a century ago.

Members of Cobra Column in KNU’s Brigade 6 area ride a truck in an undated photo. (Cobra Column)

Now his battle-hardened troops are armed with heavy weaponry and drones to scout enemy positions. They’ve fought military battalions with between 100 and 300 soldiers in strategic places around Myawaddy, including battles in strategic areas like Hpalugyi, Let Khet mountain and Thingan Nyi Naung.

And they’ve scored a number of victories.

Battlefield successes and a desire for peace

Saw Kaw speaks with pride of time when his troops shot down a helicopter carrying a key military strategist and a battalion commander, narrating the scene like a sports analyst.

"After setting up the heavy weapons and drones, the helicopter approached directly,” he said. “First, the sniper took a shot, followed by firing from the .50-caliber machine gun.

A junta helicopter Cobra Column shot down at a site that was previously the Myanmar junta's Battalion 356, July 12, 2024. (Chan Aung/RFA)

“Then, it was time for the heavy weapons. We had to target their landing spot, so we were ready with heavy weapons and drones. I am not sure if it was the sniper or the .50-caliber shot that hit, but the helicopter went down.”

The commander and the strategist were both killed.

More significantly, Cobra Column helped to capture the military’s Battalion 356, taking about 300 soldiers prisoner.

Now the Cobra Column is trying to fend off the junta’s Aung Zeya operation, a massive effort begun last spring to fully control Myawaddy and its surrounding areas, from the foot of the Dawna mountain range to the west. The outcome may help determine when the conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced tens of thousands, concludes.

Cobra Column Captain Saw Kaw, left, and Major Da Baw pose for a portrait near the former location of Myanmar junta’s Battalion 356, July 12, 2024. (Chan Aung/RFA)

Saw Kaw and fellow fighter Da Baw and their troops are trying to prevent the military column from advancing.

The fighting has kept Saw Kaw away from his wife and two young daughters for their safety, another example of history repeating itself. He hopes the battle will be over soon.

"Then, I no longer wish to be a soldier,” he said. “Since my youth, I've been trapped in this vicious cycle, and now I aspire to improve underdeveloped areas.

“I want to see people living freely and happily.”

Edited by Jim Snyder