Meng Meng is one of the hundreds of ** female fighters of the ** Defense Army, of course, this is her pseudonym for safety. They trained, lived and fought alongside men in the People's Defense Army, subverting gender norms in a predominantly Buddhist country.
Growing up during a rare period of democracy in Myanmar, Meng Meng joined the People's Defense Army, which was formed to end military rule, after the military ended democracy with a coup d'état in 2021.
Moe Moe initially joined a group that organized anti-military activities, but after being suppressed by the military, she decided to become a fighter.
I can't stand the injustice of the military. She said after the drone strike in Shan State, which borders the more populous Mandalay region.
They have killed innocent civilians. The main reason I joined the People's Defense Force was because of my anger. ”
Wearing a camouflage uniform with a red peacock badge sewn on her arm, Meng Meng said that she had friends in the Mandalay People's Defense Army who invited her to fight with them.
I was born in Mandalay and I am a Mandalay girl. So, I joined the Mandalay People's Defence Force. She said.
Meng Meng and other female fighters, who make up about a third of the People's Defense Army's drone force, challenge the military's dominance in the sky by operating commercial drones that can carry bombs that can be dropped on military positions.
If I dropped a bomb directly at a military target, I felt good for the rest of the day. It inspires me. She said.
I want more drone missions and better ability to show what I can do. ”
Sotuazzo, the male soldier in charge of the drone operation, said his female comrades had proven to be very smart and capable.
We believe in women's abilities. When we consider how best to utilize the capabilities of female soldiers, we believe that they are the best fit for the drone unit. He said.
Female fighters in the Mandalay People's Defence Force also have a range of other tasks, including participating in patrols and serving as medical personnel.
The new female soldiers, who need training, wear combat pants and T-shirts, hurry along the muddy path to the shrill whistle of the instructor.
After that, they went through a punitive routine of squats and sit-ups before lining up in the cafeteria to eat rice and meat.
Some of the female fighters also work in the administration to fund and feed the Mandalay People's Defence Force.
The reporter saw a group of women busy working at a desk stacked with laptops and papers, when suddenly a whistle announced the air raid exercise, and they ran to a nearby trench with papers in their hands to take refuge.
In another shelter, journalists saw female fighters sitting disassembling and cleaning rifles with rags and oil.
In recent weeks, the Mandalay People's Defense Forces have joined the coalition forces in the fighting. The increase in fighting means that the female medical staff of the Mandalay People's Defence Force need to do more.
In a health station consisting of a bed placed outside the house and a cart with several bottles next to it, a doctor and ** change dressings for wounded fighters.
After nightfall, the fighters returned to the camp, and the reporter saw several female warriors sitting around the campfire, their clothes hanging on ropes between the trees, and a rifle on the table.
There were two people on patrol, holding **, and as the light dimmed, they walked towards the forest.
The female fighters are very beautiful in full camouflage uniforms, plus red lipstick that matches the red badge on the **.
They sat around the fire, ate by the light of their mobile phones, and chatted about their daily routines.
Meng Meng said: Sometimes I feel homesick. But every time I talked to my mom, she told me'My daughter, we are fine, let's go home after the revolution. When I remembered her words, I was fine. ”