A Potato in Battle Zone

The state where Potato resides has turned into a battle zone. Potato is currently trapped there.

On May 20, in the early morning at a funeral, eight people were slapped in the face and arrested by military dogs. Tensions between the two sides escalated, and hatred grew stronger. Later that evening, a military vehicle patrolled the area and arrested five more people from a village. On the same day, the military council attempted to invade a region controlled by an armed ethnic force. A fire sparked, and battles started. Gunfights broke out in more than five locations. On social media, people were urgently encouraged to stockpile food and medicine, prepare communication devices in case electricity, phone lines, and the internet were cut off, and build bomb shelters and air raid shelters. The establishment of refugee camps was also strongly promoted as an urgent need. The armed ethnic force and the People’s Defense Force (PDF) collaborated, and by the end of the day, they successfully captured a military base. The capture provided the PDF with access to more weapons.

On May 21, battles between runaway soldiers and the PDF continued. Thousands of villagers fled into the jungles. In the capital town of the State, a police officer at a bank was shot. Some roads were blocked, and military dogs were authorized to shoot anyone attempting to pass. At noon, a bomb exploded at a police station, and in the evening, a thunderstorm — caused by a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal — swept through. Lightning struck another police station in the town. Later that day, news spread that the PDF, reinforced by another armed force, had captured a military gate station. Military reinforcements were rushed to the state, and military aircraft filled the sky, constantly patrolling.

On May 22, battles continued on the outskirts of the town and near villages. Due to indiscriminate shooting by military forces, three to four civilians were killed. The number of refugees surged, and temporary refugee camps were set up.

On May 23, people in town MB were warned to stay home, close shops, stock up on medicines and food, and avoid going outside unless absolutely necessary. The warning didn’t hold for long. A fierce battle soon broke out in town MB. Civilian homes were damaged, and one civilian was shot. After a few hours, the town’s police station was burned to ashes, and the PDF captured four police officers alive. Meanwhile, another battle broke out in a different town. Battles spread like wildfire and more than five locations were engaging in battles. In this way, nearly the entire State had become a battle zone.

In the capital town, a bomb exploded at a site housing collective offices. At 2 PM, it was declared that the town was under martial law (direct military rule). It was unclear who made the declaration, and it remained unofficial. Still, the news spread rapidly across social media within minutes. Shops closed, and people hurried home. Everyone still on the streets was arrested. Soon, the town fell completely silent.

Around 6 PM, Potato was in the middle of eating dinner.

“Bomb!”, an explosive sound, could be heard.

“Bomb” ….. “Bomb” …… “Bomb” …..

Ten consecutive explosive sounds could be heard one after another.

Potato filled a glass with water and drank it. Then, Potato swore, “FUCK!”. Potato couldn’t eat anymore. Later, potato learned that it was the work of two tanks (EE-9 Cascavel equipped with 90mm canon and 7.62mm machine gun).

“bratatatatata” ….. “tat-ta-ta-ta-tat”

Gunfights started. Potato was accustomed to the sound of gunfire but couldn’t stay still, pacing back and forth nervously. It began with a few exchanges between two groups, but as time passed, the conflict intensified.

Potato sat in the darkness, chatting with a friend. “In a situation like this, I feel completely defenseless. I don’t know what to do except sit here — it’s so helpless,” Potato complained. She vented a lot to her friend during their conversation.

Later, Potato sat quietly, reflecting. “When you listen closely,” she thought, “there’s a rhythm to it.”

“bratatatatata” ….. “tat-tat-tat-tat-tat”

“It’s machine guns and other firearms from the military council.”

“tat-ta-ta-ta-tat” …… “tat-ta-ta-ta-tat”

“That’s the PDF at work.”

Potato had learned to distinguish which side was firing.

“Boom!” — “Is that artillery?”

“Boom!” — “Could it be an RPG?”

“Boom!” — “Maybe a grenade?”

Potato found herself guessing every explosive sound she heard.

The shooting was non-stop from 8:30 to 9:30. “More than 500 bullets must have been fired in that hour,” Potato thought.

The direction of the gunfire shifted, growing louder and louder. It seemed dangerously close. Potato grew worried — then afraid. Soon, the town fell completely silent again. The battle, which had started around 6 PM, finally ended near 10:20. Mentally, Potato was very exhausted.

This guerrilla warfare was only just beginning. No one knew what would happen next or how long it would last. Potato had faced plenty of crises in her life, but this was the first time she’d had to fear starvation. Every entrance and exit road was blocked, halting the flow of goods. Rumors spread that landmines had been planted along those roads, making Potato doubt anyone would dare take the risk to cross. For villagers, escape to the jungles was an option, but for townspeople, there was nowhere to go. This was a true lockdown. Potato asked fate to show some mercy.

As Potato pondered death, pain, and mercy killing, she glanced out the window and saw the moon. Whatever happening in the wherever corner of Planet Earth, the moon continues to shine without a care in the universe. Potato admires the moon very much.

The next day, Potato learned that the PDF retrieved from the battle early and it was the military council who roamed around the town and continuously fired bullets into the air. Potato swore, “Motherfuckers!”

On May 24, very early in the morning, everyone started panic buying. Since there were only a few sellers, all goods were sold out within a few minutes. Starting from 9 AM, there was no one on the road. Military aircraft were busy flying in the sky transporting reinforcements and supplies. Battles continued on the outskirts of the town. PDF didn’t want to engage battles in the town. But, the military council tried to lure them by firing bullets into the air in some districts of the capital town.

On May 25, the sun hadn’t yet risen, but the morning echoed with explosive sounds. A battle raged from 5:30 AM until around 10:00 AM. Meanwhile, the military council positioned themselves on a mountain near a bazaar in the capital town. Soon after, the minister of home affairs arrived by helicopter, stimulated by attacks on police stations — the military council’s security mechanism. The moment he landed, artillery guns roared to life. The blasts were so loud that Potato’s heart sank with each shot. She could no longer focus on writing. The entire capital town was under surveillance, with telephone lines tapped. At the same time, exaggerated stories and fake news swirled on social media, wielded as tools of psychological warfare.

Potato wondered aloud, “What is the future?”

May 25, 2021