Loikaw: rebel tea to fund Myanmar's resistance
The People's Defence Forces need regular funding to fight the military regime. The tea is mainly sold in the diaspora. Meanwhile, junta officials who travelled to China have been put under surveillance by the military.
Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The groups that make up Myanmar’s resistance have found a new way to support themselves financially: Rebels green tea.
Produced from tea leaves grown in the southern part of Shan State, the new product was launched by the Loikaw People's Defense Forces (PDFs), who have been fighting Myanmar’s military since civil war broke out in 2021.
The tea will be sold abroad and the proceeds will be invested in rebel troops, one of the brand's creators, Ko Min Thu Kyaw, told The Irrawaddy. The goal, he noted, is to create a stable and long-term revenue stream after relaying on donations.
“We really appreciate the public for constantly donating to PDFs and the revolution, but the armed resistance cannot survive in the long run without a regular income,” explained Ko Min Thu Kyaw, a member of Loikaw PDFs in charge of marketing Rebels.
The idea of Rebels tea came to him while organising a fundraising project. "Why not start a business?" he thought, instead of depending on individual donations, which come mainly from Myanmar people who fled abroad.
“We picked it out of the other options because dried tea leaves are a famous product from our region of Karenni and southern Shan State,” Ko Min Thu Kyaw said.
It took a year for the final product to come to life, but on 6 July, Rebels tea sales began in Thailand, where several Myanmar refugees live. Thanks to the diaspora, the product is on sale in Singapore, Dubai, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Korea.
"All profits will flow to Loikaw PDF and Ywar Ngan PDF,” Ko Min Thu Kyaw said. And rebel café could soon follow, he added.
Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State, is one of the hardest hit places in the country.
In recent months, the ethnic militias that make up the resistance together with the PDFs have regained control of border areas, while control over the central areas of Myanmar is still patchy.
An alliance of three ethnic groups launched a new offensive recently that seems to have led to the conquest of the city of Lashio, one of the last army-held outposts in Shan State, key for Myanmar's trade with China.
The growing contacts between China and Myanmar’s military therefore do not seem to be accidental.
This is why, fearing for his job, General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, decided to put former presidents who travelled to China last month under surveillance.
Meanwhile, fighting has intensified in Rakhine State, on the border with Bangladesh. The Arakan Army, the local ethnic militia, is pushing hard to force the regular army to retreat. Here too the rebels are close to taking over.
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