The Karen National Union (KNU)'s 5th Brigade issued a statement on January 29 urging all civil servants from various departments serving under the Military Council in Hpapun, Mudaw District, Karen State, to leave the city.  

A spokesman for the 5th Brigade, Pado Mahn Mahn, said, “we have been expressing our views since March 2021. In our KNU administrative area, we will be ruled by KNU. We do not accept the rule of the military council at all. However , as for the administration of NUG and CRPH , we have already stated that we will cooperate in other ways outside of the KNU. Therefore, in 2022, in order to be able to carry out our administration more efficiently, I would like to remind the existing military council staff and administrative staff to leave and avoid these issues for the second time."

People all over the country are protesting against the military council in Myanmar in various ways. The KNU statement is the latest example of a protest that proposes to stop the military machinery from operating.   

The KNU statement reads, "All civil servants working under the military council are being  informed to leave Hpapun Township  and to return to their place of residence within the allotted time.  Civil servants are being  informed to refrain from serving under the military council. "

Failure to comply with the KNU  statement will result in consequences. Their deadline for compliance is February 10, 2022.

The Karen National Defense Army (KNLA) and the Karen National Defense Army (KNDO) are currently engaged in daily clashes between the SAC Council and the Border Guard Force (BGF) in the Kaw Doo Lay area.

The SAC Council has not commented on the KNU statement.