With homemade rifles, Myanmar self-defence groups take fight to junta – France 24

At makeshift factories hidden in Myanmar’s jungle, locals who have formed self-defence groups make rifles to take the fight to the military junta, but their homemade weapons don’t always hit the mark.

Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the generals ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February, accusing it of fraud during 2020 elections.

Several communities across Myanmar — especially in townships that have seen a high death toll at the hands of police — have formed local “defence forces”.

At one workshop in Kayah state near the Thai border, an amateur gunsmith — pieces of wood strewn around him, the sounds of saws and hammering in the background — prepares to fit a trigger guard.

Another applies the final touches to the stock with a sander, before examining the finished product: a bolt-action rifle that would not look out of place in a WWI film.

The performance of the homemade weapons is not always up to the exacting standards required in combat.

“One night, the military… shot at us with heavy artillery,” Ko John, a self-defence force member, told AFP.

Junta soldiers then closed to within 200-300 feet (60-90 metres) of the group.

“When we decided to shoot back at them, our guns did not fire as expected since they were homemade,” he said.

“We called for support from our two snipers and we shot eight rounds at them but only six rounds were fired properly.”

via www.france24.com