Fri Aug 29 16:12:18 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, written from a neutral perspective:

**The Hindu News Article**

**Myanmar Military Declares Karen National Union a Terrorist Organization**

**BANGKOK, August 29, 2025 (The Hindu)** – Myanmar’s military government officially designated the Karen National Union (KNU) a terrorist organization on Thursday, August 28, 2025, escalating tensions amid ongoing civil conflict. The designation effectively outlaws any association with the major ethnic rebel group, including contact by external parties.

The KNU, which has been fighting for greater autonomy since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, has been particularly active in resisting the military junta since the 2021 coup. The group vowed to disrupt the national elections planned for December 28, a move now further complicated by the terrorist label.

A KNU spokesperson dismissed the designation, pointing to the military’s indictment by international tribunals, stating that the military were the real terrorists.

The military government justified its decision by alleging that the KNU is responsible for significant damage to public security, infrastructure, and property. State-run MRTV television repeatedly broadcast a 1947 quote from Aung San, Myanmar’s independence hero, warning against attempts to disrupt elections, emphasizing severe punishment for such actions.

Critics have widely condemned the upcoming elections as a sham designed to legitimize the military’s power grab. The dissolution of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, which won the 2020 elections, further casts doubt on the fairness of the process. The military government enacted an election law last month that carries the death penalty under certain conditions for anyone who opposes or disrupts the polls.

The KNU, along with other opposition groups, has vowed to disrupt the election. The Karen, along with other ethnic groups, have struggled for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government.

The KNU, along with seven other ethnic rebel armies, signed a ceasefire agreement in 2015 with the former quasi-civilian government led by former general Thein Sein to end more than six decades of fighting.

However, the group became allies with pro-democracy militias formed after the military seized power in 2021 and offered refuge to the opponents of the military government. After nonviolent protests against the military takeover were put down with lethal force, armed resistance arose that has now embroiled much of the country in civil war.

The KNU has vowed to disrupt the national elections that the military plans to hold beginning December 28.

The group’s demands include the military’s withdrawal from politics, implementation of federal democracy and acceptance of international involvement in solving the country’s crisis.

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