I am not in the habit of spreading rumours but…

There have been a number of unverifiable pieces of information swirling around over the past 24 hours that suggest increasing division among the ranks of the Burmese Armed Forces. It has been very difficult to confirm what is going on. Some comments on New Mandala alluded to these issues but I have had trouble chasing down more concrete information…

However, I have just received a report from inside Burma that certain Light Infantry Divisions are possibly defying orders to fire on protests. The message I received is that, in Rangoon, Light Infantry Division 66 “has joined with protestors” to “fight back” against Light Infantry Division 77 (which was involved in the recent carnage). In Mandalay, Light Infantry Division 33 has also reportedly “refused” to fire on the monks and “so Than Shwe and junta arranged to replace” it with Light Infantry Division 99. According to the report, Light Infantry Battalion 33 has “decided to protect the protestors”.

Right now, it is impossible to confirm any of these reports and I imagine that journalists around the world will be trying to get better information about the status of the various Light Infantry Divisions.

When I know more I will post it to New Mandala. If any readers have their own sources – please do let me know what they are reporting.