Myanmar poet becomes militia commander in war for democracy

A warrant for Maung Saungka's arrest had been issued and convinced he would soon be imprisoned, he and some friends fled to Myanmar's borderlands.

There they founded the Bamar People's Liberation Army (BPLA) and elected Maung Saungkha their leader. Two years later, the 30-year-old is one of the most prominent figures waging war for democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.

"We chose to take up arms as we had no other choice," he told Reuters in one of several interviews from his jungle camp.

"Nobody wants to do this. We were forced to choose this path," Maung Saungkha said.

His journey, he says, has taken him from being a romantic poet who jumped at the sound of bullets to a rebel leader who now negotiates arms deals and dodges air strikes. Reuters was unable to confirm certain aspects of his account.

The junta, which has charged Maung Saungkha with sedition, says armed groups that oppose it are "terrorists" who sow chaos and kill civilians. It did not respond to Reuter's requests for comment about this story.

Maung Saungkha became a public figure in Myanmar in 2015 when he published a satirical poem on Facebook that imagined his penis tattooed with a portrait of then-President Thein Sein.

That earned him six months in a squalid jail cell. After his release, Maung Saungkha, who became known as the "penis poet" - kept writing but also became more politically active.

He advocated for equality for the country's many minorities and federalism and campaigned against the imprisonment of journalists, including two Reuters reporters detained for uncovering a 2017 massacre by the military of 10 Rohingya men.

According to analysts Reuters spoke to, that track record has helped the BPLA, which sought support and training from ethnic armed organisations that have been fighting for decades as they seek greater autonomy.

In particular, the group has forged strong ties with the Karen National Union, on whose territory it is based, and the Arakan Army which provided training.

Both groups confirmed the BPLA was fighting alongside their troops.

Maung Saungkha also said the BPLA also wants to work with People's Defense Forces - the armed wing of the National Unity Government formed from the remnants of Aung Sang Suu Kyi's administration and which is comprised of hundreds of new militias.

Maung Saungkha says he has courted danger on the frontlines. Once a fellow soldier insisted on walking in front of him, stepped on a landmine and lost his leg. While travelling near the frontlines, his car was targeted by an aerial attack, killing one of his companions.

He also worries about potential retribution against his family but has no plans to go home.

"All of us, myself included, have no plans to return to our former lives – no matter what happens to our parents. As a commander who must lead my comrades, I have to keep that in mind," he said.

Although the BPLA has support from allies for food and other supplies, Maung Saungkha said funding is a constant concern.

Some armed ethnic groups have long relied on drug trafficking for funds, according to the United Nation's Office on Drugs and Crime. But the BPLA says its only independent financing comes from donations, sales of BPLA-branded hoodies and merchandise, and Maung Saungkha's poetry books. Reuters was not able to independently confirm this.

Maung Saungkha said he has no time for his personal life, but still writes poetry. A recent verse describes a soldier longing for his sweetheart.

He adds that after the junta has been ousted, he wants to open a bar for his young veterans as they have missed many opportunities to experience joy in their youth.

Reuters