Armed conflict in Kachin State - general articles

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Description: "Since the military junta?s announcement in 2010 that they were willing to begin a transition to democracy and implement democratic reforms arms imports from Chinese, Russian and other outside supplies have risen dramatically. Arms imports into the country in 2011 surged to an all time high of nearly $700 million, more than double the highest annual figure since 1989 and remained almost as high in 2012. Fatalities in Burma?s armed conflicts have also risen during these years as a more than decade-long downward trend was reversed following the massive rearming of the military and its subsequent offensives against the Kachin Independence Army, which began in June of 2011..."
Creator/author: Jacob Sommer
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
2013-12-06
Date of entry/update: 2014-07-14
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The Kachin Independence Army and the Myanmar government have agreed a new truce, bringing a tentative halt to the war that re-ignited on 9 June 2011. That war ran for far too long, with too many killed and too much damage done. Regular New Mandala readers will be aware of my deep interest in this topic, and the many words I have spilled on it over the years. For now, it?s too early to guess whether this truce will hold but the signals from the negotiations in Myitkyina are overwhelmingly positive. We can all appreciate that the challenges ahead are immense, and that building the foundations for a new political arrangement in northern Myanmar will not be easy. But the effort by all sides to find common ground and bring a halt to hostilities is exactly what?s needed to create momentum for lasting peace. It won?t happen by accident..."
Creator/author: Nicholas Farrelly
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
2013-05-31
Date of entry/update: 2014-07-16
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Kachin State Hpakant Township July 1 at 1045 hrs., ten 81mm mortar rounds fired from Nam Ya Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) (12) Base to the sides of Hkrai Run, Gawlu Yang gold mining area, in Hpakant Township. At 1625 hrs., Burma army soldiers from Kamaing Byuha Base (Tactical Base) indiscriminately fired a mortar round toward Dam. July 2 at 1450 hrs., Nam Ya LIB (12) fired 18 82mm mortar rounds to the side of Head of Gawlu Yang village, in Hpakant Township. July 2 at 2:50 p.m., Nam Ya LIB (12) fired mortar rounds indiscriminately and one of the grenades landed on a compound in the home of Deacon Hpukawn Ze Naw, Kumtsai Zup village. For that, the soldiers of the Burmese army from the Nam Ya base sent 100,000 kyats to the family in whose yard a shell was landed – through Mr. Gum Maw Awng and his friends, but the family did not accept the money and told them instead not to fire mortars into the village next time, in Hpakant Township. July 4 at 1500 hrs., Nam Ya LIB (12) fired four 82mm rounds to Kumtsai village, in Hpakant Township. At 1220 hrs., Kamai Byuha Base fired one mortar round to the side of Gawng Hka. July 7 at 0650 hrs., the combined troops numbering around 50 soldiers from LIB (116) and Infantry Battalion (IB) (42) coming from Kasen Bum were attacked with mines along Namkawn Rung, Seng Awng village by Kachin Independence Army (KIA) soldiers from 6th Battalion, leaving many Burma Amry soldiers killed or injured. The injured were sent to Hpakant hospital. July 14, around 70 combined Burma Army soldiers led by IB (42) Commander, Maj. Zaw Myo Than and Maj. San Aung from LIB (116) operating along a crop field behind Gatnoi village clashed with KIA soldiers from 11th Battalion at Microwave Bum (KJ 520 372) between Gawlu Yang and Hkumtsai Zup village, Hpakant Township. July 15 between 0535-0542 hrs., the clash erupted again when KIA soldiers carried out a clearance operation at the site. Nam Ya LIB (12) backed by 60mm mortar fire during the fighting that a shell landed in the house of Zahkung Zau Seng, injuring five civilians: Maji La Ja, Ms. Hpauyu Hkawn Nu, Hpaula Dut La (in serious condition), Hpaula Kai and Ms. Marip Myu Htoi Tsin, and another shell landed in the house of Mr. Lamwi Naw Jat, at Seng Hpra village, killing one pig. July 15 between 0930-0955 hrs., the fighting continued between around 70 combined Burma Army soldiers and KIA’s militia along the uphill of Hkumtsai Zup Church (KJ 528 266). July 16 at 1540 hrs., Nam Ya LIB (12) fired 3 82mm mortar rounds toward Manaw Maw. At 155o hrs., Burma Army soldiers arriving along Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) Worship Hill, Hkutsai Zup village fired 4 60mm rounds to the side of Microwave Bum, in Hpakant Township. July 19 at 1300 hrs., Nam Ya LIB (12) Base fired three 82mm mortar rounds to the side of Hkumtsai Zup, in Hpakant Township. July 22 at 0656 hrs., two KIA soldiers from 44th Battalion attacked Burma Army checkpoint at Kamaing – Lawa road junction with two remote mines, leaving two Burma Army soldiers dead and two wounded, in Hpakant Township. Mansi, Monyin, Putao, Danai/Tanai Townships July 2 between 1540-1600 hrs., around 50 combined Burma Army soldiers from IB (250) and LIB (424) coming from Banggaw, Manlep were attacked with mines at Hpumlum Hkyet between Hkachyang Hku and Maji Gung, by KIA soldiers from 27th Battalion, injuring around ten Burma Army soldiers, in Mansi Township. July 21 at 0820 hrs., around 20 Burma Army soldiers from IB (276) coming on foot from Loihkam Bum were attacked with a mine by KIA soldiers from 12th Battalion, leaving five (BA) soldiers wounded. The Burma Army soldiers reacted by firing 79mm and small arms in all directions, in Mansi Township. July 21 at 1030 hrs., People’s Defense Force (PDF) attacked Burma Army soldiers on a truck near Lwan Hkwa village between Naba and Katha, in Monyin Township. July 23, around 80 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (309) operating on foot from Katha were attacked with a mine by KIA soldiers and PDF, leaving five Burma Army dead and five wounded, in Monyin Township. July 12 at 2100 hrs., KIA soldiers from 7th Battalion fired five M-79 grenade launchers at Sumpyi Yang IB (137) Base (LJ 656 734), Putao Township. July 5 at 2038 hrs., IB (297) stationed at Jahtu Zup fired six mortar rounds to the side of KIA 14th Battalion, in Danai Township. Momauk Township July 2 at 0935 hrs., KIA soldiers from 19th Battalion attacked around 100 Burma Army soldiers operating at Mansai road junction with a mine between Loi Mawk and Dung Hung, injuring 4 or 5 soldiers. Burma Army soldiers reacted by firing in the vicinity, which lasted 10 minutes, resulting in five civilians (including a 2-year-old child) wounded, in Momauk Township. A 2-year-old child was sent to Myitkyina hospital due to a serious condition, while the four were sent to Dawhpum Yang hospital. July 10 at 0610 hrs., KIA soldiers from 15th Battalion detonated an IED at Burma Army soldiers coming from Numlang between Ta Li and Taw Be, in Momauk Township. Burma Army soldiers reacted by indiscriminate fire: small arms and mortars nearby. July 10 between 1125-1135 hrs., Kunglaw LIB (387) Base fired 11 120mm mortar rounds toward KIA 25th Battalion area, in Momauk Township. At 1932 hrs., a jet flew over Salawng Kawng and Myo Tit. July 11 at 2145 hrs., 15 mortar/artillery rounds were fired: from LIB (387) to the side of Salawng Kawng, from LIB (438) and IB (142) to the sides of KIA 19th, 25th and 30th Battalion areas. One shell fired from IB (142) Base landed on a cowshed of Khin Maung Nyut from Dawhpum Yang village which killed four cows, in Momauk Township. July 12 at 0850 hrs., KIA’s militiamen attacked with two mines at a 4×4 truck carrying 8 Armed Policemen from No.30 Police Station en route to Yuma village from Hpakant, leaving two policemen wounded. The incident took place in front of Yuma School. Another 4×4 car carrying 6 policemen, going to check the incident, were detonated a mine at 1315 hrs. too. July 23 at 1324 hrs., KIA soldiers from 15th Battalion attacked around 20 Bumra Army soldiers coming from Hka Wan Bang by a truck and five motorcycles with two mines – at Alen Kawng village, Koit Tit road (LG 333 824), leaving one soldier on motorcycle wounded, in Momauk Township. July 23 between 1852-2025 hrs., Burma Army soldiers stationed at Hpunpyen Bum stepped on a landmine on the way to fetch water. In retaliation, they fired 6 mortar rounds from Hkangkai Bum toward Shang Htung Bum, 3 rounds from Bumre toward a KIA post under GHQ command, in Momauk Township. Waingmaw Township July 2 at 1209 hrs., IB (58) fired three 105mm howitzers toward Machyang Bum behind Washawng village, in Waimaw Township. July 8 at 2008 hrs., KIA soldiers from 3rd Battalion attacked Shwe Nyaung Pin LIB (321) Base with 60mm mortar rounds and grenade launchers, in Waimaw Township. July 11 between 2000-2010 hrs., KIA soldiers from 3rd Battalion attacked Burma Army’s Aung Mye Thit Bridge Post, seizing two M-22 rifles along with over 500 bullets and other items. The (KIA) soldiers set fire to their (BA) camps, in Waimaw Township. July 11 at 2125 hrs., IB (58) Base fired two 105mm howitzers to the side of Nang Zaw Yang, in Waimaw Township. July 21 at 0845 hrs., three KIA soldiers laid a mine inside the checkpoint, Hka Ya road junction wherein Burma Army soldiers from IB (77), under LID (88) sat during the day and withdrew at night. A mine was detonated when the soldiers sat, leaving two dead and three others wounded, in Waimaw Township. July 21 at 1930 hrs., IB (58) fired four 105mm howitzers to the side of Nang Zaw Yang front line area, in Waimaw Township. Shwegu Township July 4 between 2300-2310 hrs., the clash broke out when the combined forces from 12th Battalion and PDF attacked around 30 Burma Army soldiers under LID (88) taking security for underground communication cable at head of Ngabat Gyi village and around 30 policemen stationed Shwegu Quarter (3) Police Station, in Shwegu Township. July 7 between 0700-0730 hrs., the fighting broke out when KIA soldiers from 5th Battalion fired at three boats carrying around 60 Burma Army soldiers at Gaugwi Hka and Nambu Hka river intersection, in Shwegu Township. July 9 at 1450 hrs., four jets from Myitkyina dropped two bombs around Chyauk Gyi, Myo Hla, in Shwegu Township. July 13, around 50 Burma Army soldiers under LID (88) appearing at Ta Ya Kung, Chyauk Ji from Uk Tsi village were attacked with a remote mine, killing one Burma Army soldier and injuring 6 others, in Shwegu Township. Shan State Muse Township July 4 at 1720 hrs., the fighting broke out when around 100 Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) soldiers from No.311 Brigade fired at around 30 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (547) in a truck heading to Loi Ngu from Hpawng Seng – near Loi Ngu village (MG 459 644), in Muse Township. July 5 between 1240-1320 hrs., Burma Army Base at Hpawng Seng fired four 81mm rounds to the side of Loi Ngu Bum where MNDAA soldiers stationed, in Muse Township. July 7 at 0820 hrs., around 100 MNDAA soldiers from 311th Brigade attacked Hpawng Seng Base (MG 432 660) where an estimated 100 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (419) stationed, in Muse Township. July 11 between 1210-1630 hrs., around 40 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) carried out offensive toward Hpawng Seng Udang Bum (MG 455 622) where MNDAA 304th Battalion under 311th Brigade stationed, leaving 8 Burma Army soldiers dead, in Muse Township. Between 1830-1930 hrs., (BA) soldiers continuously fired mortar rounds to the mountain where MNDAA soldiers were stationed. July 12 at 1800 hrs., there was fighting between MNDAA soldiers and LIB (575) at Hpawng Seng Lashap village, in Muse Township. July 13 at 0925 hrs., there was fighting between MNDAA soldiers and Burma Army soldiers of an unknown unit between Man Pying village and Nawn Hpai village, in Muse Township. July 18 between 1401-1320 hrs., the clash broke out when KIA soldiers from 36th Battalion fired at around 100 Burma Army soldiers under Light Infantry Division (LID) (99) coming on foot from Da Lung – Manjak Pa (MG 011 401), in Muse Township. July 23 between 1920-1935 hrs., around 40 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (419) coming on foot from Hpaikawng clashed with MNDAA soldiers from 505th Battalion, 511th Brigade at Kawng Wai road junction (MG 136 648), in Muse Township. Kutkai Township July 4 at 0810 hrs., around 50 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) heading to Man Pyawng Bum from Nam Hpalum were attacked at the coordinates: LG 872 029 between Kawng Lim and Shu Khin Tha by KIA soldiers from 29th Battalion in Kutkai Township. July 6 at 0955 hrs., an estimated 70 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) coming from Manje were attacked with four mines at Kawng Lim and Bang Hpik road junction (MG 193 182) by MNDAA No.m501 Unit, in Kutkai Township. July 9 at 1013 hrs., an estimated 100 Burma Army soldiers of an unknown unit coming from Nam Ba Chi village were attacked with a mine by KIA soldiers from 39th Battalion, in Kutkai Township. July 15 between 0810-0930 hrs., around 110 Burma Army soldiers from IB (290) coming from Manje clashed with around 200 of combined soldiers of MNDAA, AA and KIA at Loi Lem Bum (MG 206 146), in Kutkai Township. Burma Army soldiers from Mung Ji Base backed by 105mm fire. July 15 at 1200 hrs., Namhpakka IB (123) Base fired two mortar rounds to the side of Bang Gai Ja Maw (gold mining area), in Kutkai Township. July 15 at 1400 hrs., around 80 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) coming from Nam Jarap clashed with around 60 MNDAA soldiers from No.202 Unit at Huli Bum Hpaleng road junction (MF 151 400), in Kutkai Township. July 18 between 1300-1320 hrs., the fighting broke out when around 130 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) appeared at Man Jang Pa (MG 011 401) where KIA soldiers from 36th Battalion stayed. July 19 at 0950 hrs., the fighting broke out when Burma Army soldiers from LID (99) carried out an offensive toward Man Jang Bum (MG 020 391), in Kutkai Township. July 19 between 0924-1030 hrs., there was fighting between KIA soldiers from 10th Brigade and around 40 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (109) – at Bang Ding village (MG 271 117), in Kutkai Township. Burma Army soldiers from Mung Ji Base backed by 105mm fire. July 21 between 1100-1120 hrs., MNDAA soldiers from 505th Battalion, under 511th Brigade attacked around 60 combined Burma Army soldiers from IB (79) and LIB (315) coming from Bang Sai Base, when the Burma Army soldiers arrived at uphill of Nam Hu village (MG 080 631). Fighting resumed when MNDAA soldiers attacked again between 1200-1400 hrs., in Kutkai Township. July 1 at 0830 hrs., KIA soldiers from 8th Battalion detonated a mine at a 4×4 truck in which soldiers from IB (123) were travelling on their way to Namhpakka Quarter (3) Market, leaving two dead, in Kutkai Township. July 6 at 0955 hrs., an estimated 70 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) coming from Manje were attacked with four mines at Kawng Lim and Bang Hpik road junction (MG 193 182) by MNDAA No.501 Unit, in Kutkai Township. Lashio, Hseni July 24 between 1000-1100 hrs., KIA soldiers from 17th Battalion clashed with around 70 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) coming from Pang Ti at Kawng Dap (MF 294 839), in Hseni Township. July 24 at 0940 hrs., the clash broke out when around 40 Burma Army soldiers under LID (99) appeared at Nawng Sam Bu (MF 267 496) where MNDAA soldiers from 205th Battalion stayed. At 1735 hrs., around 80 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (420) carried out an offensive at Bang Loi Ngin (MF 240 470) where MNDAA soldiers from 205th Battalion initiated fire, in Lashio Township. June 2021 Kachin Reporting The month of June saw continued fighting in Shan and Kachin states, with a reported tally of 34 artillery missions, 13 uses of mines and improvised explosive devices, and 27 troop contacts that resulted in short or prolonged fighting between EAO’s and Burma Army forces. In Kachin State much of the reported fighting took place in Hpakant, Mansi, Monyin, Momauk, and Waingmaw Townships, while in Shan State the majority of reported fighting continues to take place in the vicinity of Kuthkai. Kachin State Hpakant (Monyin District) On June 3 at 1750 hrs., Burma Army soldiers from Ginsi Byuha Base fired 4 105mm rounds towards Myithkrum village, Minmaw and Ye Sha Maw in Hpakant Township. On June 15 between 1740-0830 hrs., an estimated 60 Burma Army soldiers from LIB (116) coming from Lunghkang Gun-powder Station were attacked with mines by KIA soldiers from 6th Battalion which led to fighting. The two Burma Army soldiers were killed and one wounded in the clash, in Hpakant Township. On June 15 at 1715 hrs., IB (76) stationed at Ginsi Dingnyina Kawng fired two 105mm rounds to the side of 6th Battalion control area and two rounds to the side of 9th Brigade HQ at 1740 hrs., in Hpakant Township. On June 23 at 2146 hrs., Burma Army soldiers stationed at Kamaing Byuha Kawng (Kamaing Tactical Base) fired two 81mm mortar rounds to the side of Si-En terrain, in Hpakant Township. At 2150 hrs., LIB (12) stationed at Nam Ya fired two 60mm mortar rounds to the side of Sabaw Maw. On June 23 at 2146 hrs., Burma Army soldiers stationed at Kamaing Byuha Kawng (Kamaing Tactical Base) fired two 81mm mortar rounds to the side of Si-En terrain, in Hpakant Township. On June 23 at 2150 hrs., LIB (12) stationed at Nam Ya fired two 60mm mortar rounds to the side of Sabaw Maw, in Hpakant Township..."
Source/publisher: Free Burma Rangers
2021-08-16
Date of entry/update: 2021-08-17
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Sub-title: Kachin forces strike two military bases and destroy a checkpoint during a series of overnight attacks
Description: "The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked three military bases in the Kachin State towns of Mogaung and Waingmaw overnight on Thursday, according to locals. At around 10:30pm, the KIA’s Battalion 3 under Brigade 5 launched an assault on the junta’s Waingmaw-based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 58. Gunfire could be heard across Waingmaw town and subsided at around midnight, a man who lives near the LIB base told Myanmar Now. The man said two civilians were wounded—one mortally—when the junta’s Myitkyina-based Northern Regional Command fired artillery shells at the area of the fighting. “Two people were injured when heavy artillery shells fell on the bus station and the former company compound of the Kachin Entrepreneurs Association on the Waingmaw-Washawng Road. One of them later died,” the man said. The deceased, 36-year-old Aung Le, was a company worker living in the compound where the artillery shells exploded. Details of the other person who was injured were not available at the time of reporting. At around 3am on Friday, locals said the KIA ambushed the junta’s Maran Kahtaung military checkpoint between Mogaung and Kamine in Mohnyin District, subsequently destroying it. The KIA also fired about 30 artillery shells at Base 3 of the Military Operations Command—known by the Burmese language acronym Sa Ka Kha—in Mogaung at around 3:30am, a resident said on the condition of anonymity. “I don't know where they were firing during the night. I could only hear the sound. I came to know only in the morning that they had attacked those places. Now, it is a bit quiet in the town,” the resident said. Col Naw Bu, the KIA's information officer, was contacted by Myanmar Now about the clashes in Mogaung and Waingmaw, but he had not responded at the time of reporting. He did, however, confirm to Kachin State-based media outlets on Friday that fighting had taken place and there had been civilian casualties. Around one hour after the Thursday night attack on LIB 58 in Waingmaw, the junta's military bases west of the KIA headquarters in Laiza fired artillery shells around the Kachin stronghold, according to those local news reports. At the time of publication, the military’s information ministry had not released any information about the KIA strikes. On Thursday, the KIA also attacked two of the junta’s bases between Kutkai and Muse townships in northern Shan State. Following the February 1 military coup, heavy fighting broke out between the KIA and the junta’s army in northern Shan State, and the fighting has also spread to Kachin State. The KIA, in cooperation with local People’s Defence Forces, has also fought the junta’s troops in Kawlin, Katha and Htigyaing townships in upper Sagaing Region. On Monday afternoon, the KIA intercepted and attacked seven naval vessels belonging to the junta on the Irrawaddy River near Shwegu in Kachin State. Prior to the coup, the KIA was not among the ethnic armed organisations signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the government and military, but had engaged in preliminary peace talks with the National League for Democracy administration. In February, following the military’s attempted seizure of power in Myanmar, the KIA announced that they would protect anti-coup protesters in Kachin State and welcomed the resistance movement..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
2021-07-31
Date of entry/update: 2021-07-31
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Description: "A new briefing paper released today by KWAT provides an update of human rights violations by the regime’s security forces in urban and rural areas of Kachin State and Muse District of northern Shan State during April and May, 2021. Security forces have continued to use live ammunition against unarmed protesters, killing two men, in Bhamo and Hpakant. They have also continued hunting out activists in urban areas, arresting sixty-one people during the two months, including NLD members, doctors, journalists, and youth leaders. In rural areas, in response to losses inflicted by the KIA, the regime’s forces have stepped up brutal reprisals against civilians, including torture, arbitrary shooting, and shelling of residential areas. Youth in Myitkyina, Mohnyin and Kamaing have been arbitrarily arrested and tortured for suspected links to the KIA. This included three boys returning from playing football, who were detained in a military base for 12 days, beaten in the head with guns and burned with cigarettes. Escalated shelling along the Dawhpumyang-Momauk highway in southeast Kachin State has killed nine villagers and injured fifteen, including three children. This was in direct retaliation for KIA gains in the area, including the recapture of the Alaw Bum mountaintop base on March 25, and the shooting down of a regime helicopter on May 3. The attacks on civilians have caused large-scale displacement, with over 6,000 new IDPs fleeing to Momauk and Bhamo towns. Their former homes are now occupied by Burma Army troops from the notorious elite infantry divisions 77, 88 and 99, who have been looting villagers’ property, livestock and food. KWAT is calling for economic and diplomatic sanctions on the illegitimate coup regime, and for a global arms embargo and no-fly zone over Burma. Neighbouring countries, including China, are urged to stop the regime from using their airspace to launch attacks. KWAT urges foreign governments to endorse the National Unity Government as the legitimate government of Burma, and requests international donors to provide humanitarian aid cross-border to the IDPs in ethnic areas..."
Source/publisher: Kachin Women’s Association Thailand
2021-06-16
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-17
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Description: ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရ၊ ဒုတိယသမ္မတ ဒူဝါလရှီးလက ကချင်ဒေသအတွင်း တကျော့ပြန်စစ်ပွဲပြန်ဖြစ်ခြင်း (၁၀) နှစ်ပြည့် ကျင်းပသည့် အခမ်းအနားသို့ ပေးပို့သည့် သဝဏ်လွှာ ၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်၊ ဇွန်လ (၉) ရက်
Source/publisher: National Unity Government of Myanmar
2021-06-09
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-10
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Description: "Fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and regime forces intensified on Sunday across five locations in Kachin State and Sagaing Region. One of the clashes involved a People’s Defense Force (PDF) formed by civilian resistance fighters against the military dictatorship. The KIA joined the fierce fighting between the PDF and junta troops in Katha Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday, civilian resistance fighters in Katha said. “The regime has been reinforcing their troops in our areas recently, restricting our movements, so we had to launch an attack,” a PDF spokesperson in Katha said. “The fighting was very intense, so the KIA joined with us,” he said. Eight regime soldiers were killed and 13 seriously injured, while five civilian resistance fighters were killed and one was captured by the military during the fighting, according to the Katha PDF. In response, the military fired several artillery rounds, including 60 mm shells, in residential areas, local residents claimed. Earlier, Moe Ta Lay village police station in Katha Township was set on fire by unknown attackers. Moreover, the KIA also stormed a military outpost in Nant Mon village, near Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State’s Mohnyin Township, in the early morning of May 30. The outpost was jointly manned by regime troops and a local militia. A KIA officer on the ground told The Irrawaddy that they had to attack first because the military has recently reinforced its troops in the area. Fighting was also continuing in Kachin State’s Putao Township between the KIA and junta soldiers on Sunday, following a KIA attack on May 29 on a military convoy of around 50 soldiers heading to Lung Sha Yang and Sum Pyi Yang villages in Putao Township. Local residents said that the fighting began around 11.30am near Tangja village. There were also renewed clashes near the Alaw Bum base in Kachin State’s Momauk Township on Sunday, with junta forces attacking the KIA. The military regime has made several attempts to retake control of the strategic outpost near the border with China, after the KIA seized the base on March 25. A local resident said that fighting had also intensified in Hpakant Township, Kachin State on May 30 between the KIA and regime forces. “We heard gun fire for nearly two hours in the morning. The military also launched artillery strikes on the KIA,” said the local resident. “We cannot go to our fields due to the fighting. Artillery shells fell in our villages as well,” he said. On May 29, a local school was burned down after being hit by regime airstrikes in Kachin State’s Tanai Township. The airstrikes followed the KIA’s capture of a military outpost in Talu village. Clashes across Kachin State and northern Shan State have been taking place since March 11, following the KIA’s refusal to recognize the military regime. The KIA has attacked military and police outposts and has threatened to step up its attacks if the junta continues to kill peaceful protesters across the country..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2021-05-31
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-31
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Sub-title: Toppled democratic leader makes clear in a military court appearance that she and her party represent Myanmar's agitated people
Description: "Myanmar’s deposed and detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court on Monday, her first public appearance since a February 1 military coup toppled her elected government and set off waves of popular dissent and resistance. Although it was only a first 30-minute hearing, the legal process could lead to her eventual imprisonment and the dissolution of her political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). Suu Kyi stands accused by the military of several charges ranging from possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies to violating the 1923 colonial-era Official Secrets Act. But the reality, most Myanmar observers say, is that the top brass wants to punish the government she led since 2016 and nullify the outcome of the November 2020 election where the NLD scored yet another landslide victory, as it did in 2015 and 1990. The military’s accusations of electoral fraud are not what independent, international election observers saw when they monitored the poll last year. With the military now firmly in charge of the country’s central institutions since the coup, the eventual outcome of the court cases against Suu Kyi is not in doubt – she will inevitably be found guilty and banned from politics. That, in turn, could set the stage for new elections rigged in favor of the military and without the participation of the NLD. Those verdicts, whenever they are handed down, will surely spark more furious unrest in a country that has descended into chaos and anarchy since the military made the fateful decision to seize power on the day a newly elected parliament was scheduled to meet for the first time in Naypyitaw. The coup has also restored Myanmar to pariah status internationally, with Western criticism and sanctions heaped on the coup makers. At the same time, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is coming under fire from within the military — not because of the power grab as such, but for his inability to consolidate it. Internally, he has reportedly been mocked as only being good at making donations to pagodas and for being “the prince of bangs and pots”, a reference to the way people across the country are venting their anger at the coup by banging pots and pans. The coup was immediately met by massive demonstrations all over Myanmar, with pro-democracy protesters often waving Suu Kyi’s image on banners and signs, and has been followed by a fierce response from the military. More than 800 protesters and bystanders have been killed and about 4,000 people detained since the putsch. And the violence and persecution are far from over. What began as peaceful protests have morphed into violent clashes between the military, the police and anti-coup activists who in some places have organized their own armed bands. In Kayah state in the east armed partisans overran and burned down a police station on May 23. According to the Kantarawaddy Times, a local website, at least 15 policemen were killed in the raid and four captured alive. Twenty-six Myanmar army soldiers have reportedly been killed elsewhere in Kayah state over the past few days. The same news source reported that one resistance fighter was killed and five wounded during the clash. In Mindat in the west, resistance fighters armed with hunting rifles and homemade guns took over the town before the military responded with heavy artillery and fire from helicopters. Elsewhere in Myanmar, bombings are becoming daily occurrences and the targets are military-controlled banks, companies and local governmental offices. A huge fire raged at a government building in the northern city of Myitkyina in Kachin state on May 23. On the same day, a bomb exploded in front of the municipal office and explosions as well as gunfire could be heard in Sanchaung in the country’s largest city and commercial capital Yangon. Apart from igniting armed resistance by locally raised and previously unknown forces, the war between ethnic armed groups in Kayin and Kachin states and the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, has flared anew. In Kayin state, more than 20,000 people have had to flee the fighting while the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has overrun a number of army positions and police stations, most recently in Hkamti in northern Sagaing Division on May 22. Airbases in Meiktila, Magwe and Toungoo have come under rocket attacks in what appears to be ethnic rebels working with urban dissidents. Among those arrested by junta forces are journalists, activists, health workers and teachers who have taken part in protests against the coup. According to a May 23 Reuters report quoting an official of the teachers’ federation who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals, 125,000 school teachers of the country’s total of 430,000 have been suspended. The number of doctors and nurses who have lost their jobs is not known, but is thought to be considerable. Many educated people, fearing arrests, have managed to leave the country leading to yet another brain drain, similar to those after the first military takeover in 1962 and the crushing of a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. The country could tilt towards further anomie without a circuit breaker. Banks are not functioning and the economy is in a shambles amid countrywide strikes and unrest. There are rising reports of soldiers and police seemingly at random breaking into people’s homes, destroying furniture and stealing whatever they can lay their hands on. Other reports indicate that soldiers and policemen have been given methamphetamine pills to jack them up before being deployed to crack down on protesters, which could explain their often erratic and wildly violent behavior. The only statement that came out of the May 24 court hearing was that a defiant Suu Kyi said that the NLD “was established by the people so the party will be there as long as the people are.” It’s impossible to predict how that short utterance from the country’s iconic democratic leader will impact or ignite an already volatile situation on the ground. What is clear, however, is that she acknowledged her followers are now pitted against the military, an institution she had tried to accommodate and work with while in power. It’s also clear that whatever sympathy and support the public may have had for the Tatmadaw are long gone as soldiers rampage, kill and loot with increasingly reckless abandon – a point that some say may be forming schisms in the military. If Min Aung Hlaing is eventually replaced, which is still far from certain, it doesn’t mean his successor would take a more conciliatory approach to the country’s civilian leaders, including Suu Kyi, and her affiliated pro-democracy movement. But as long as he remains in place and Suu Kyi is in the dock on trumped-up charges, Myanmar’s people-versus-the military struggle will likely accelerate and spread..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
2021-05-24
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi was healthy at home and would appear in court in a few days, in his first interview since overthrowing her in a Feb. 1 coup. The coup has plunged the Southeast Asian country into chaos. An ethnic armed group opposed to the ruling junta attacked a military post in a northwestern jade mining town while other violent incidents were reported from other corners of Myanmar. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her long struggle against previous military rulers, is among more than 4,000 people detained since the coup. She faces charges that range from illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law. "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health. She is at her home and healthy. She is going to face trial at the court in a few days," Min Aung Hlaing said by video link with the Hong Kong-based Chinese language broadcaster Phoenix Television on May 20, in excerpts released on Saturday. The interviewer asked him what he thought of the performance of Suu Kyi, 75, who is widely admired in the country of 53 million for her campaign that had brought tentative democratic reforms which were cut short by the coup. "She tried all she could," Min Aung Hlaing responded. He reiterated that the army had seized power because it had identified fraud in an election won by Suu Kyi's party in November - although its accusations were rejected by the then election commission. He said the army would hold elections and potential changes to the constitution had been identified and would be made if they were "the people's will". Suu Kyi's next court appearance is due on Monday in the capital Naypyidaw. So far she has appeared only by video link and as yet to be allowed to speak directly to her lawyers. The junta has cited security reasons for not allowing her to speak to her lawyers in private at a time the military authorities have not established control of the country in the face of daily protests, strikes and renewed insurgencies.....ATTACK ON JADE TOWN: The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked an army post at Hkamti township in the Sagaing region early on Saturday, the Irrawaddy and Mizzima online publications said. Pictures showed columns of dark smoke rising from the scene. KIA spokesman Naw Bu told Reuters he was aware of the attack but could give no details. Reuters was unable to reach a junta spokesman for comment. State run-MRTV television reported the attack and said that three police had been wounded and others were missing. Independent broadcaster DVB said nine were captured by the insurgents. Since the coup, open conflict resumed between the army and the KIA, which has been fighting for greater autonomy for the Kachin people for some six decades and has voiced support for anti-junta protesters. Mizzima said the army used jets in attacks on the KIA at Hkamti, a town on the Chindwin river in a remote region rich in jade and gold about 50 km (30 miles) from the border with India. The army has carried out numerous bombing attacks on KIA positions in recent weeks and has also clashed with ethnic armies in the east and west of Myanmar. Security forces have killed at least 815 people since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. Min Aung Hlaing said the actual figure was around 300 and that 47 police had also been killed. State-run MRTV said one policeman had been killed in an insurgent attack in eastern Kayah state on Friday. In western Chin state, junta opponents said they had killed at least four members of the security forces on Friday and had buried them by the roadside. The claim could not be independently verified. Myanmar media reported that a soldier had been killed in a shooting in the commercial hub, Yangon, on Saturday. Bomb blasts were reported there, at Pathein in the Irrawaddy delta region and at a trading zone near the border with China..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
2021-05-23
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Fighting in recent weeks has displaced some 45,000 civilians in Chin and Kachin states.
Description: "At least 10 military junta troops were killed and around 20 critically wounded in five clashes over the last two days in Myanmar’s Chin state, militia groups said Thursday, while tens of thousands of civilians have fled and are living in dire conditions as fighting has intensified in the region. Four of the engagements took place in Chin’s Hakha township, killing and injuring regime soldiers, a Hakha-based Chin-land Defense Force (CDF) spokesman told RFA’s Myanmar Service. The first occurred when CDF forces entered Lot Klone village on May 18 and were fired on by the junta troops, while the second took place the following morning, when a CDF unit ambushed soldiers on Matupi Road, killing seven, he said. “This morning [Thursday] we heard from sources close to the area that more than 10 troops were killed and more than 20 injured,” the spokesman said. Additionally, the CDF reported, a clash took place at a security checkpoint near Hakha University on May 18 and another near the intersection of Hakha Thar 6 and Hakha-Gangaw Roads the same day. On the evening of May 19, the military set fire to more than 30 motorbikes owned by Hakha CDF members, the group said, although no casualties were suffered. In Chin’s nearby Mindat township, the Mindat People’s Administration (MPA) militia said it engaged with regime troops on May 19 between mile markers 40 and 50 on Mindat-Matupi Road, killing three junta soldiers, including a sergeant. As of Thursday, the military had yet to confirm details of any of the clashes in Chin state, where soldiers are battling volunteer militias wielding mostly home-made weapons more than three months after it overthrew the country’s elected government in a Feb. 1 coup and reinstated junta rule. Za Op Ling, deputy executive director of the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), told RFA that more than 35,000 civilians from Chin state have fled their homes since the attack on Lot Klone village—15,000 of whom have crossed Myanmar’s border into India’s Mizoram state. “Whenever there is a clash, the soldiers later search every house and make arrests,” he said. “Their main target is young people, so all the youths have fled to nearby villages. Some escaped to the Indian border. All this happened mostly in Mindat and at least 8,000 people have fled from the township alone.” Za Op Ling said that local authorities in Mizoram state have asked India’s central government to provide assistance to the refugees from Myanmar. A resident of Mindat confirmed that the township is nearly deserted after the military “opened fire with heavy artillery,” killing several residents. “In this kind of situation, it isn’t possible for people to live in the town. It’s not safe to stay at home at all,” she said. “People just fled to nearby forests or villages. The young people from our village have helped some of the refugees. Now there are only some elderly people left in the town, most of whom are trapped.” Around 3,000 people taking shelter in four villages in Mindat township are currently facing food shortages due to logistical difficulties and with water and power cut off, according to a local aid worker. A member of the Mindat CDF, which is helping the refugees, said the group plans to ask the United Nations refugee agency for help in distributing food and other necessities. A spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General said in a statement on Tuesday that that the UN Office for Human Rights is investigating reports of arbitrary detentions, including the killing of six people in Mindat over the weekend. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said at least 797 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed by security forces since the latest military coup, while more than a thousand civilians have been injured. The fighting in Mindat over the weekend prompted Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) on Thursday to condemn the military’s blocking of humanitarian and medical aid and access to clean water. “The reports out of Mindat … expose the horrifying reality of ongoing violence against tens of thousands of civilians in Mindat by the Myanmar military,” the group said. “These actions further echo the unconscionable actions and severe breaches of international human rights law perpetrated by the Tatmadaw since the group seized power in a February 1 coup d’etat,” it said, using the Burmese name for the military. “Physicians for Human Rights is appalled by the Myanmar military’s unlawful implementation of martial law in Mindat, who has pushed civilians into Mindat’s surrounding jungles to escape detention, and the reported obstruction in access to clean drinking water.” The group noted that the fighting has left women and children in Mindat vulnerable to tactics of war it said the military regularly employs, including sexual and gender-based violence.....Kachin state refugees: In Kachin state, where junta troops have also been fighting the veteran ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) since clashes broke out between the two sides on April 10, residents told RFA that the military has launched more than 30 airstrikes in the area over the past 40 days. The two sides have engaged in some 90 engagements in Kachin state’s Momauk township alone, prompting more than 10,000 people to flee from 20 villages. More than 3,000 have arrived in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), while the remainder are in hiding in forests near their homes, hoping to remain able to harvest their crops. A woman refugee from Momauk’s Sihak village told RFA her family had lost nearly everything in the fighting. “The three or four houses in front of ours were razed to the ground during the clashes,” she said. “The owners have nowhere to live and have fled.” A resident of Momauk’s Kone Law village said that clashes intensified just as farmers were preparing to harvest peanuts, and many crops were damaged. “We should have been harvesting then, but now, the harvest time has passed, and the ground has become very hard,” he said. “It’s very difficult to pull out the plants. We had to hire more people, but we still can’t get it done because the soil has hardened. There are a lot of people who dare not go to the fields because the soldiers are too close.” Civil society groups are attempting to provide food, shelter and medicine to Momauk, but refugees told RFA that the military is blocking them from doing so and confiscating the goods. Residents also complained that soldiers regularly plant landmines in area fields that kill essential cattle, but then demand compensation from farmers for “destroying their weapons.” A civil society worker who is assisting refugees in Momauk told RFA there are still not enough camps for those who have fled the fighting. “Even monasteries that used to take in refugees are full, so many people lack shelter because there is no place for them to live,” he said. “We are now trying to find ways to set up a new camp in a convenient location with the help of U.N. agencies, but it is difficult because of the rising number of refugees.” While the most intense fighting between the military and KIA has taken place in Momauk, clashes have also occurred in several other townships in Kachin state, including Laiza, Hpakant, Mohnyin, Mogaung, Tanaing, Bhamo, Putao, Mansi and Myitkyina.....Inter-ethnic conflicts: In addition to clashes with the military regime, Myanmar’s myriad ethnic armies have continued to fight amongst themselves in the pursuit of new territory, further exacerbating the country’s refugee crisis. Clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the combined forces of the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) broke out near Manli village in northern Shan state’s Namtu township in April. More than 2,000 residents of Namtu’s Panlong, Chaungsa and Manli villages, have since fled to the nearby town centers of Hsipaw and Namtu. Additionally, clashes between the SSPP/SSA-N and RCSS on May 19 prompted another 1,000 villagers to flee Hsipaw’s Wan Sein village, bring the total number of IDPs in the area to around 3,000. The SSPP/SSA-N and TNLA have called on the RCSS to withdraw their troops back to their home base in southern Shan state to ease fighting in the northern part of the region. Fighting between the RCSS and the TNLA intensified between 2015 and the end of 2017 in northern Shan state and in April 2018, the TNLA began joint operations with the SSPP/SSA-N in Namtu township. According to the SSPP/SSA-N, talks between the two Shan ethnic armies have yielded little progress..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "RFA" (USA)
2021-05-20
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Forces of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the ethnic factions opposed to Myanmar’s coup, attacked military positions at the northwestern jade mining town of Hkamti on Saturday, local media reported. The attack marks an advance into new territory by the KIA at a time Myanmar has been plunged into chaos since the army seized power on Feb. 1, detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and cut short a decade of democratic reforms. KIA fighters attacked an army post at Hkamti township in the Sagaing region early on Saturday, the Irrawaddy and Mizzima online publications said. Pictures showed columns of dark smoke rising from what they said was the scene of the attack. KIA spokesman Naw Bu told Reuters he was aware of the attack but could give no details. Reuters was unable to reach a junta spokesman for comment on the reports. "The fighting is still ongoing. I can still hear the gunshots," Mizzima quoted one resident as saying. It said the site attacked was near a mining venture that involves the military-owned Myanma Economic Holdings Ltd. conglomerate. Reuters was unable to confirm the reports independently. Since the coup, open conflict resumed between the army and the KIA, which has been fighting for greater autonomy for the Kachin people for some six decades and has voiced support for anti-junta protesters. Mizzima said the army was using jets in attacks on the KIA at Hkamti, a town on the Chindwin river in a remote region rich in jade and gold that lies about 50 km (30 miles) from the border with India. The army has carried out numerous bombing attacks on KIA positions in recent weeks and has also clashed with ethnic armies in the east and west of Myanmar. Security forces have killed at least 812 people since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. The military disputes this figure and says at least two dozen members of the security forces have also been killed. The army seized power alleging fraud in a November election won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. The then electoral commission had rejected its accusations. On Friday, local media quoted an official of the new electoral commission appointed by the junta as saying there was a plan to dissolve the NLD..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
2021-05-22
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "ကြေညာချက် အမှတ် ( ၁၈/၂၀၂၁ ) ၁၃၈၂ ခုနှစ်၊ တပေါင်းလပြည့်ကျော် ၃ ရက် မတ်လ (၃၀)ရက်၊ ၂၀၂၁ခုနှစ်။ ============== ၁။ နိုင်ငံတော်၏ အချုပ်အခြာအာဏာကို လက်နက်အားကိုးဖြင့် အနိုင်ကျင့်သိမ်းယူခဲ့သော စစ်ကောင်စီနှင့် ၎င်း၏ လက်ပါးစေ အကြမ်းဖက်သောင်းကျန်းသူများသည် နိုင်ငံအဝှမ်းရှိ တိုင်းရင်းသားပြည်သူလူထု တစ်ရပ်လုံး ၏ အသက်အိုးအိမ်စည်းစိမ်များကို နေ့စဉ်နှင့်အမျှ ဖျက်ဆီးနှောင့်ယှက်လျက်ရှိသည်။ အကြမ်းဖက် စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ လူမဆန်သော လုပ်ရပ်များကြောင့် ပြည်သူများသည် ကျေးလက်မြို့ ပြမကျန် ကြီးစွာသော ဆင်းရဲဒုက္ခရောက် နေကြရသည်။ ၂။ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီသည် ကရင်အမျိုးသားအစည်းအရုံး (KNU)၊ ကချင်လွတ်မြောက်ရေးတပ်မတော် (KIA) အစရှိသည့် တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင်တော်လှန်ရေးအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၏ နယ်မြေများတွင်လည်း စစ်ဆင်ရေးများပြုလုပ်နေပြီး၊ အပြစ်မဲ့ပြည်သူများနေထိုင်သည့် ကျေးရွာများအား လေကြောင်း တိုက်ခိုက်မှုများ ပြုလုပ်နေခြင်းကြောင့် တိုင်းရင်းသားနယ်မြေများမှ အကာအကွယ်မဲ့ ပြည်သူများသည် အိုးအိမ်စွန့်ခွာ၍ တစ်ဖက် နိုင်ငံသို့ ထွက်ပြေးတိမ်းရှောင်နေကြရသည်။ ၃။ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီနှင့် ၎င်း၏ လက်ပါးစေ အကြမ်းဖက်သောင်းကျန်းသူများသည် တိုင်းရင်းသား ဒေသများတွင် စစ်ရာဇဝတ်မှုများကို ဆယ်စုနှစ်များစွာကျူးလွန်ခဲ့ပြီး၊ ယခုတွင်လည်း သာလွန်အင်အား၊ လေ ကြောင်းအင်အားများဖြင့် အပြစ်မဲ့တိုင်းရင်းသားပြည်သူများအား တိုက်ခိုက်နေသည့် လုပ်ရပ်များသည် လူသား ဆန်မှုကင်းမဲ့လျက်ရှိသည်။ ယင်းလုပ်ရပ်များကို ပြည်ထောင်စုလွှတ်တော်ကိုယ်စားပြုကော်မတီက အပြင်းထန် ဆုံး ရှုတ်ချသည်။ ၄။ ပြည်ထောင်စုလွှတ်တော်ကိုယ်စားပြုကော်မတီအနေဖြင့် တိုင်းရင်းသားဒေသများရှိ ပြည်သူများ နှင့်တကွ နိုင်ငံတော်တစ်ဝှမ်းလုံးရှိ ပြည်သူများ၏ အသက်အိုးအိမ် စည်းစိမ်များအား အကာအကွယ်ပေးနိုင်ရေး နှင့် လူသား ချင်းစာနာမှုဆိုင်ရာ အထောက်အကူများ ရရှိနိုင်ရေး နည်းလမ်းမျိုးစုံအသုံးပြု၍ ကြိုးပမ်းဆောင်ရွက် သွားမည်ဖြစ် ကြောင်း ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာအပ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH)
2021-03-30
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Description: "More than 100 days after the coup in Myanmar, the military authorities are showing no sign of letting up in their brutal crackdown on opponents in a bid to consolidate their hold on power. At the same time, there is no weakening of the resolve of the civil disobedience movement and other facets of opposition to the coup leaders. As of 10 May, credible sources indicate that the security forces, using unnecessary, disproportionate and lethal force to suppress demonstrations and other forms of public participation, have killed at least 782 individuals since the coup on 1 February. While much of the world's attention has been on the number of peaceful protesters and bystanders killed by the security forces, the authorities continue to commit other gross human rights violations against the people of Myanmar. There are daily raids on private homes and offices, and more than 3,740 people are currently in detention. We are deeply alarmed that the whereabouts and fate of hundreds of these individuals are unknown. These are situations that may amount to enforced disappearances. Of those in custody, the vast majority have not been brought before a judge, while most of the 86 people prosecuted thus far have been tried in secret, with limited or no access to any form of legal counsel. Military tribunals and courts martial have been established in several townships in which martial law was declared. At least 25 individuals have received the death sentence to date – some 20 of whom were tried in absentia. Over the past month, the military leadership has issued over 1,561 arrest warrants targeting civil society activists, trade unionists, journalists, academics, public personalities and online voices, so driving the vast majority of them underground. To intensify pressure, the military authorities have resorted to taking relatives of wanted people into custody to force them to turn themselves in to the police. The military authorities are also stepping up their efforts to pressure civil servants back to work. In recent weeks, the coup leadership has dismissed, removed, or suspended more than 3,000 civil servants – nearly 70 per cent of those targeted have been women. Those suspended include 990 university professors, researchers and assistants who in the last few days have been suspended for failing to report to work. There are reports that up to 11,000 more educational workers were suspended on Monday. We are also deeply concerned about the situation of people fleeing persecution, especially human rights defenders and journalists. As the armed conflicts between the Tatmadaw and some of the ethnic armed organizations, particularly in Kachin and Kayin states, have intensified, people seeking protection are being forced to consider seeking safety outside the country. When they do so, they should receive such protection and support from Myanmar's neighbours. It is clear that there needs to be greater international involvement to prevent the human rights situation in Myanmar from deteriorating further. Despite the five-point plan agreed at the ASEAN leaders' meeting on 24 April, the Myanmar military leadership has shown no sign of abiding by it. We call on ASEAN to react quickly and to intensify its actions to ensure the military keeps to these commitments and to hold them accountable for failing to do so..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Geneva)
2021-05-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: KIA, Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar military, Kachin State
Sub-title: The Myanmar military launches air attacks on Kachin and Karen villages after losing strategic bases to ethnic armed organisations
Topic: KIA, Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar military, Kachin State
Description: "The Myanmar military continued to launch lethal air attacks on villages in Kachin State’s Momauk Township after one of its helicopters was shot down by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on Monday. KIA spokesperson Col Naw Bu told Myanmar Now that Kachin forces shot and destroyed a junta helicopter between the villages of Myo Thit and Kone Law in Momauk at around 8am. “We shot it down during a battle. Fighter jets also came to the area,” Col Naw Bu said. “The battles are not on the ground—the military are launching airstrikes and using sophisticated weapons.” After losing the helicopter, the regime’s armed forces continued its air attacks on Myo Thit, Kone Law and Si Hat villages, he added. A 60-year-old man and a Buddhist monk, whose age was not known at the time of reporting, were killed in the strikes, local media reported. At least 10 villagers were injured, according to the Kachinwaves news outlet. Fighting has intensified between the KIA and the military’s 77th Light Infantry Division in Momauk in recent days. A battle on April 29 killed 20 regime soldiers and led to a KIA seizure of junta weaponry, according to a KIA source. The clash took place below Alaw Bum, a strategically important hill base that the KIA seized on March 25. The Tatmadaw has launched numerous air and ground attacks in a bid to reclaim it but has suffered heavy losses. At the time of reporting, Alaw Bum was still in KIA hands. The Myanmar military has also launched around 30 airstrikes since late March in Mutraw (Hpapun) District, Karen State. The territory is controlled by the 5th Brigade of the Karen National Union’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The airstrikes and heavy artillery fire, largely aimed at civilian targets, had driven more than 3,000 people to seek refuge across the border in Thailand as of Saturday, according to the Karen Peace Support Network. The most recent round of regime air attacks followed the KNLA’s seizure of a junta base in the Thaw Le Hta area of Mutraw, across the Salween River from Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province, on April 27. Many of the airstrikes have taken place near the Ei Htu Hta internally displaced people’s camp near the Salween River, forcing the camp’s population of more than 2,000 into hiding. Many are among the recent refugees in Thailand. More displaced villagers from Karen State are expected to flee to Thailand if the regime’s airstrikes continue..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
2021-05-03
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of Myanmar's most powerful rebel groups, said on Monday it had shot down a helicopter after returning fire following air strikes by the military, an official at the group said. The United Nations estimates that tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes as a result of the fighting between the military and ethnic minority insurgents in remote northern and eastern frontier regions. The conflict intensified after Myanmar's generals seized power on Feb.1, ousting the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The KIA's information department head, Naw Bu, said the helicopter was shot down around 10:20 a.m. at a village near the town of Moemauk in Kachin province. "The military council launched air strikes in that area since around 8 or 9 this morning ... using jet fighters and also fired shots using a helicopter so we shot back at them," he said by telephone. He declined to say what weapons were used. News portals MizzimaDaily and Kachinwaves also reported the downing of the helicopter next to photographs showing a plume of smoke coming from the ground. A resident in the area, who declined to be named, said by telephone that four people had died in hospital after artillery shells hit a monastery in the village. Reuters could not independently verify the reports and a military spokesman did not answer a phone call seeking comment. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup, with protests almost daily against military rule across the country. On Sunday, Myanmar security forces opened fire on some of the biggest protests in days, killing eight people, media reported. The protests, after a spell of dwindling crowds and what appeared to be more restraint by the security forces, were coordinated with demonstrations in Myanmar communities around the world to mark what organisers called "the global Myanmar spring revolution". The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group says security forces have killed at least 765 protesters since the coup. Reuters is unable to confirm the toll. The military said it had to seize power because its complaints of fraud in a November election won by Suu Kyi's party were not addressed by an election commission that deemed the vote fair. Suu Kyi, 75, has been detained since the coup along with many other members of her party..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
2021-05-03
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: KIA, Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar military, Kachin State, Momauk
Sub-title: The notorious division has been implicated in mass killings against the Rohingya and the murder of protesters in Yangon
Topic: KIA, Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar military, Kachin State, Momauk
Description: "Twenty soldiers from the Tatmadaw’s notorious 77th Light Infantry Division were killed on Thursday during an attack by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Momauk township, a KIA officer said. The clash took place at the bottom of Alaw Bum, a strategically important hill base that the KIA seized late last month. The Tatmadaw has launched numerous intense attacks in a bid to reclaim it but has suffered heavy losses. The KIA confiscated 18 weapons during Thursday's attack, said the officer, who is familiar with the incident but asked not to be named because he is not a spokesperson. The Tatmadaw responded with six airstrikes but they failed to inflict any damage on the KIA’s side, he added. The 77th LID has been implicated in mass killings during the campaign against the Rohingya in Rakhine State in 2017, as well as the murders of protesters in Yangon. The shock troops were sent to Alaw Bum as reinforcements after the Tatmadaw accidentally bombed one of its own units on April 24 during a clash between the KIA and the 88th LID, causing many casualties, the KIA officer said. The day after the friendly fire incident, the regime deployed three military units to attack Alaw Bum again and also launched airstrikes. The KIA said it suffered casualties, though it did not specify how many, during several days of sustained airstrikes. But it said the military faced heavier losses. On Thursday the KIA also launched an artillery attack near Waingmaw airport and hit a weapons warehouse. The clashes have forced civilians to flee their homes. “Someone’s house was shelled in Kone Law village on April 28,” a Momauk local told Myanmar Now. “Everyone from the village is fleeing, except one or two who stayed to look after their homes.” One person was heavily injured and reportedly sent to the Momauk military hospital, he said, while another man from the nearby Nwam Lan village was also injured. “I heard he might have to have a hand amputated.” There was another clash on Friday, he added. “They opened fire with artillery today but no jets yet.”..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2021-04-30
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Fresh clashes between Myanmar security forces and regional armed groups have displaced thousands across the country, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
Description: "According to the Office, almost 50 clashes between the military and the Kachin Independence Army were reported in several places in Kachin state, including use of airstrikes by security forces as well as mortar shelling by both sides, displacing nearly 5,000 people and damaging several homes. “Around 800 people returned to their villages of origin within a few days and an estimated 4,000 people remain displaced in various sites, including in churches and monasteries”, OCHA said in a humanitarian bulletin. This was the first reported displacement in the country’s northernmost state since September 2018. Kachin had been hosting about 95,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in long-term camps since 2011. “Humanitarians and local host communities are doing their best to provide emergency assistance to the newly displaced people, despite the operational challenges and insecurity”, OCHA added. In neighboring Northern Shan state, escalating clashes since January forced about 10,900 people to flee their homes, of whom nearly 4,000 remain displaced, the Office added, noting that hostilities had also increased since February in Kayin and Bago states, displacing almost 40,000 people. About 3,000 people, mostly from Kayin, reportedly crossed the border into Thailand. The majority are said to have since returned. Funds needed for assistance Apart from the ongoing political strife in the aftermath of the military takeover on 1 February, nearly a million people across Myanmar, over two-thirds of them women and children, identified at the start of 2021, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. UN and humanitarian partners launched a $276 million response plan to assist nearly 950,000 people through 2021. However, into the last week of April, only 12 per cent or $32 million of the amount needed has been received. Rising hunger and desperation There are also fears of a sharp rise in hunger and desperation across Myanmar due to the triple impact of pre-existing poverty, the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing political crisis. Estimates by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) indicate that up to 3.4 million people – particularly those in urban centres – would be hit by high levels of food insecurity over the next six months. Already, there are signs of families in and around Yangon being pushed to the edge, skipping meals, eating less nutritious food and going into debt, just to survive, the agency said last week, as it mounted a new food assistance programme to help the most vulnerable. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), meanwhile, warned that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, almost a third of the country’s children were living in poor households. “In the current crisis, the situation has worsened. UNICEF is working to support the most vulnerable children and families across Myanmar, ensuring their access to lifesaving services”, the agency said on Monday..."
Source/publisher: UN News
2021-04-28
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-29
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar military
Sub-title: The junta has reportedly not been able to recapture any of the camps that they have lost to the Kachin forces
Topic: Kachin Independence Army, Myanmar military
Description: "The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has seized at least 10 of the junta’s army bases since fighting escalated with the Myanmar military following the February 1 coup, according to local sources. Clashes between the KIA and the regime’s armed forces have been ongoing since early March, when the KIA began to launch offensives to capture military bases and police stations in the Kachin State townships of Hpakant, Mogaung, Waingmaw, Putao and Tanai, as well as in northern Shan State. Among the locations since overtaken by the KIA are the Alaw Bum and Ywathit military outposts in Momauk Township, as well as one police base; the Tan Khawn and Aungbalay bases in Hpakant; and the Nambyu base in Tanai. “The KIA raided and seized around 10 bases, including small ones,” a Myitkyina resident and military observer said, adding that Kachin forces continue to maintain control over some locations, and others they destroyed. “They set fire to the military bases that they did not continue to occupy, so now neither force is at those,” the individual added. He said that the military junta had not been able to recapture any of the camps they lost. KIA information officer Col Naw Bu told Myanmar Now on April 21 that Kachin forces had seized some bases belonging to the junta, but that further details were unavailable, with fighting ongoing in multiple locations. Much of the regime’s focus has been on regaining control of the strategic Alaw Bum hilltop base in Dawphoneyang sub-township of Momauk. Since April 11, the junta has carried out repeated airstrikes against the KIA in an attempt to drive them out of Alaw Bum and areas controlled by KIA’s Brigades 8 and 9, but the military has reportedly suffered heavy casualties in the offensive, according to KIA sources. These sources have said that hundreds of Myanmar military troops, including battalion commanders, were killed in the fighting, and at least one whole battalion– LIB 320– was wiped out. Myanmar Now has not been able to independently verify these casualties. A KIA officer told Myanmar Now that, at the time of reporting, more than 1,000 junta soldiers had been airlifted to Momauk Township as reinforcements. Locals have noted that since a previous 17-year ceasefire with the Myanmar military broke down in 2011, the KIA had been largely fighting on the defensive; only since the coup had they started engaging in offensives against Myanmar’s armed forces. “It is like the KIA is attacking places that they used to control in the past. The tension can only escalate from here,” a resident of Hpakant said..."
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
2021-04-23
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Opposition to the military’s coup has boosted ethnic armed groups, creating a new challenge to its lucrative jade and gems business
Description: "Life in Myanmar’s jade-producing regions was always difficult and precarious but since the military seized power from the civilian government on February 1, it has become even more dangerous. In Kachin State’s Hpakant township, which has the world’s largest and most lucrative jade mines, there are more soldiers and police, access to mining sites has become more difficult and local markets have stopped operating. “Many places are dangerous to dig jade now. There are only a few places where we can dig by hand or small machine,” said Sut Naw, a local miner who preferred to use a pseudonym for security reasons. Police and soldiers are now guarding company compounds, he added, patrolling roads day and night. They also stop people on the streets or in their vehicles, checking for jade and other valuables and searching through people’s phones for evidence of resistance to the coup. “I have seen many zombie movies, but never realised that I would be living in a similar environment,” he said. “People don’t go out at all unless they have to.” The military has long dominated Myanmar’s jade industry and continues to rake in immense profits. Myanmar’s annual jade and gems emporium, held from April 1 to 10, brought in $6.5m on the sixth day alone, according to state media.....Lucrative resource: In 2015, the environmental watchdog Global Witness valued Myanmar’s jade industry at $31bn and described it as possibly the “biggest natural resource heist in modern history.” Identifying the Tatmadaw and armed elites as the industry’s biggest profiteers, the exploitation of jade was “an appalling crime that poses a serious threat to democracy and peace in Myanmar,” it said. Keel Dietz, a Myanmar policy adviser with Global Witness, told Al Jazeera that with the Tatmadaw now in total control over the formal governance of natural resources, they were likely to step up that exploitation. “There is a huge risk that the military, in their desperate efforts to maintain control, will look to the country’s natural resource wealth to sustain their rule, to buy weapons, and enrich themselves,” he said. Escalating clashes between the Kachin Independence Army, the armed wing of an ethnic armed group in the resource-rich northern state and the military, known as the Tatmadaw, have raised questions over the control over the jade mines. Before a 1994 ceasefire, the Kachin Independence Organization, which has been fighting for federal rights to self-determination since 1961, controlled most of the mines and local people were able to enjoy a share of the wealth through small-scale mining activities. The KIA is its armed wing. The ceasefire saw most of the jade-mining region nationalised under a military government known for exploiting resources without regard for the social and environmental consequences. The state-owned Myanmar Gems Enterprise took control over the regulation of mining activity and issuing licences, which it signed over to itself and to companies that benefitted its interests, including proxy companies, companies run by military cronies and those connected to armed actors including the United Wa State Army, which runs its own special administrative region on the China border and has a history of links to drug trafficking. These companies levelled mountains, dug enormous trenches and dumped waste with impunity. Hundreds of thousands of migrants flocked to the area, dreaming of digging their way to prosperity but found themselves scavenging through company waste heaps; if they found a big stone, it was confiscated by soldiers. The natural environment was destroyed, landslides and mining accidents claimed hundreds of lives, and drug abuse skyrocketed – all while the Tatmadaw pocketed handsome profits. Shortly after winning elections in 2015, the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi pledged to reform the industry and in August 2016, suspended the renewal of mining licences and the issuance of new ones. But companies bypassed the suspensions with impunity, and the NLD government was widely criticised by rights groups for failing to bring meaningful changes to the jade industry. In July 2020, more than 170 people were buried in a landslide in a Hpakant jade mine. “The government and military have never respected natural resources,” said Ah Shawng,* a land and Indigenous rights activist in Hpakant. “They extract resources as they wish and only for themselves. .. Our natural resources are all disappearing and being destroyed.” But since the coup, resistance to centralised policies and the exploitation of ethnic people and the land and resources in their states appears to be rising.....Shifting allegiances: The 2008 military-drafted constitution, which centralised land and resource management at the union level and entrenched Tatmadaw power, was abolished on March 31 by officials forced out by the military. In its place, they put forward an interim Federal Democracy Charter. Mainstream support for armed resistance to military rule has also increased, as the Tatmadaw arrests thousands and indiscriminately shoots civilians. Some 739 people have been killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which is tracking the violence. With ethnic armed groups, including the KIO, in a position to offer protection and help fight back against the generals, ethnic minorities’ struggles for self-determination under a federal system, which were once largely ignored by the majority Bamar public, are now increasingly popular. Pro-KIA demonstrations have been held across Kachin State and even in central Myanmar, while the number of recruits is rising. Although the KIA and Tatmadaw have been at war since the ceasefire collapsed in 2011, fighting had slowed since 2018. But since the coup conflict has escalated. Clashes have been taking place nearly every day. The KIA, so far, appears to have the upper hand – it has taken several Tatmadaw bases and claims to have obliterated entire battalions, killing hundreds of soldiers. Some of the most intense fighting has occurred in and around Hpakant, where Ah Shawng, the local rights activist who also prefers to use a pseudonym for her security, says most locals support the KIA. “Now, when [junta] forces harm people, the KIA protects and stands with us,” she said, adding that the KIA had been successful in driving out some security forces from the area. On March 28, the KIA killed about 30 policemen who had raided a jade mining site operated by the Taut Pa Kyal mining company, according to Kachin State-based media reports. The company, according to a BBC Burmese article, is backed by the Kyaw Naing company, which has 64 licenced mining sites and failed to disclose a military crony among its beneficial owners in 2020. Days later, a photo circulated on social media of a police station, allegedly at another company jade mining site in Hpakant, bearing a white flag of surrender to the KIA. Al Jazeera contacted the KIO to verify the incidents but they declined to comment on matters related to Hpakant. The KIA may be fighting to gain control of other areas as well – including some areas beyond Kachin State. Local news agency Myanmar Now reported on April 15 that the KIA and Tatmadaw had clashed in Mogok, a city in Mandalay region hundreds of miles from Kachin State. Mogok’s mines possess the world’s most valuable rubies, as well as other lucrative gemstones. On April 16, a group of youth in Mogok staged a pro-KIA march and drew a large “Welcome KIA” banner on the street. The next day, the military forces gunned down at least two people in the city.....Sanctions, import bans: The United States has already imposed sanctions on Myanmar Gems Enterprise, as well as on two military holding companies, Myanmar Economic Holdings Public Company Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited (MEC). This week, the European Union also added MEHL and MEC to its sanctions list. Dietz of Global Witness told Al Jazeera that while the sanctions were “hugely important,” they were likely to have only a limited effect on the jade sector without the support of China, which serves as the primary market for Myanmar’s jade, a highly prized luminous green stone. “Global Witness encourages the international community to place import bans on all jade and coloured gemstones coming from Myanmar,” he said. He also expressed concern that as the Tatmadaw finds itself squeezed of funds, it might try sell off resource concessions in exchange for fast cash. “The international community should make it clear to commodity trading firms and other investors in natural resources that now is not the time to be making large new resource deals in Myanmar – the military regime is not a legitimate government, and should not be allowed to sell away Myanmar’s remaining mineral wealth to sustain itself,” he said. Tu Hkawng the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation under the newly-formed interim National Unity Government running in parallel to the generals’ administration, told Al Jazeera that it was time to bring natural resource management back into the hands of the local people. Appointed on April 16, he has already begun engaging with local stakeholders to reform natural resource management policy through the lens of Indigenous rights. “We are trying to build a collective leadership … to engage more with the grassroots-level community and solve the problems together,” he said. “This is a bottom-up approach. In order to achieve it, we have to build a network with every stakeholder and collaborate.” He hopes that by addressing natural resource governance, the civil wars that have plagued the country for the past 70 years can finally be brought to an end. “Every ethnic group has the right to manage and benefit from the natural resources on its own land. Right now we don’t have that,” he said. “If everyone gets to govern their own land, we won’t have to fight any more.”..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
2021-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: Burma/Myanmar – ethnic conflict – Bamar – Kachin – Rohingya
Topic: Burma/Myanmar – ethnic conflict – Bamar – Kachin – Rohingya
Description: "For four years since March 2011, when an entrenched military junta ceded power to a notionally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein (formerly prime minister in the outgoing junta), Myanmar has sought to make a transition to democracy. 1 One clear comparative lesson from the literature on transitions is that respect for ethnic and religious minorities is essential for the creation of a stable, consolidated democracy. Several components feed into this: protection of both individual and group rights, policies promoting inclusiveness and non-discrimination, and more generally a sense among minority groups that a level political playing field means that they too could one day have the chance to attain majority status. As part of the wider transition, the Myanmar government is sponsoring both a peace process with ethnic armed groups and, more broadly, an agenda of national reconciliation. Alongside peace talks, this has generated several disparate initiatives designed to bring people together across ethnic and religious fault lines. Nevertheless, at a time when low-grade civil conflict continues to plague both Kachin State and northern Shan State, and when sectarian violence remains potent across much of the society, long-standing divisions continue to have real social 1 In 1989, the military junta decreed a series of name changes for the country and many places within it. Burma became Myanmar, Rangoon became Yangon, Karen State became Kayin State, and so on. This article uses the old geographic terminology when focusing on the period before 1989, and the new terminology when focusing on the period after 1989. This usage is not intended to convey a political message..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: The University of Hong Kong
2015-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) warned civilians in northern Shan State’s Kutkai this week that clashes could erupt anytime in the area between the ethnic armed group and the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw. Since June 1, the Myanmar military and the KIA have clashed violently in Kutkai five times. The township has also seen clashes between the Myanmar military and a KIA ally, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). “[More] clashes can break out anytime. [Civilians] need to be very careful,” KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told The Irrawaddy. Clashes broke out on June 6 and 7 in Kutkai between the Myanmar military and the KIA, and another round of violence took place from Tuesday to Thursday, creating a climate of fear among Kutkai residents. Dozens of people taking shelter at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Zup Awng Village in Kutkai had returned to their villages to farm and search for food, as their community has seen a shortage of food due to COVID-19. The renewed fighting on Wednesday forced around 30 of them to flee back to the camp. On Thursday, Myanmar military troops reportedly forced five locals in Kutkai to serve as guides for them, holding them until the evening. There was no fighting on Friday as of midday, according to local residents. The fighting in Kutkai has erupted despite the fact that the Myanmar military has declared a ceasefire due to COVID-19, which is in effect until August 31. “There was a clash with the KIA around 9 a.m. on Thursday some 2,500 meters from Namhu Village to the west of the Hsenwi-Kutkai Road,” Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy. He claimed that clashes took place because KIA troops trespassed into territories controlled by the Myanmar military. But the KIA said it has not reached any agreement with the Myanmar military about troop deployments as it is still in discussions with the Myanmar government and military about signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2020-06-19
Date of entry/update: 2020-06-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "While Myanmar’s state counselor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi focused her energies last month on personally defending her country’s appalling human-rights record in The Hague, bewildering ever more erstwhile supporters for papering over atrocities, “Rape as a Weapon of War and the Women Who Are Resisting: A Special Report” recently released by the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) reflects a more accurate portrayal of the true nature of the ethnic conflict embroiling the long-troubled country. “Sexual violence has become a hallmark of the prolonged civil conflict and an indisputable tactic of the Burma Army against ethnic women,” the report states. “After several failed domestic and international agreements, the Burma Army continues to rape with impunity, but women across the ethnic states are tired of living in fear.” Working with local ethnic pro-democracy groups, FBR trains, supplies, and later coordinates with teams providing humanitarian relief. After training, these teams provide essential emergency medical services, basic necessities and human-rights documentation in their home regions..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
2020-01-03
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Myanmar army attacked a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) training base in northern Shan State’s Hseni Township on Wednesday, according to local sources. The KIA reported that the Myanmar army attacked a KIA Brigade 10 training base and KIA forces fought back. “We heard that they came to attack our base. KIA forces were fighting in self-defense,” KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu told The Irrawaddy on Friday. “We do not know details yet about whether the Myanmar army has withdrawn their troops from our area or whether our training base has withdrawn troops from the area, as it is very difficult to get in contact with them,” he said. Col. Naw Bu is based at the KIA headquarters in Laiza, Kachin State. The colonel added that in the last three months, the Myanmar military has deployed troops in the territory of KIA Brigade 10 and has been searching for the KIA army base. Kachin News Group reported that the Myanmar army fired four large artillery shells at the KIA training base, as well as lighter weapons..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2020-01-10
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Four score minus seven years ago, on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, the leaders of four of Myanmar's main ethnic groups -- the majority Burmans, plus Kachin, Chin and Shan -- committed to creating a country conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal. The year before independence from Britain in 1948, the legacy Panglong Agreement created conditions for a multicultural country including "a separate Kachin State within a Unified Burma … [I]t is agreed that such a State is desirable". Despite the reforms of recent years, the people of Myanmar are still waiting for the unified society agreed to in Panglong by Myanmar's independence hero, Aung San. Desire to see the promise of Panglong materialise remains strong among the country's minorities, as well their sympathisers worldwide. These include the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), who provide humanitarian support to Myanmar's minorities and advocate for "freedom, justice and peace" while shedding light on the abuses of the Myanmar army. My fateful mountaintop encounter three years ago with FBR founder David Eubank, on my first trip to Kachin while on a frontline tour with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), provided the catalyst for my second trip last spring to this ruggedly beautiful land..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
2019-11-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Fearful for their safety, many of the 241,000 people forced from their homes by conflict in Myanmar are reluctant to go back. Now campaigners are mobilising to resist organised returns Bawk Nu Awng hasn’t been home since 2011. All three of the villages where she spent her childhood have been destroyed. “War hit wherever my family lived,” she said. “I feel like it is my responsibility to engage in all matters related to peace.” Now aged 21, Bawk Nu Awng, from Kachin in Myanmar, has emerged as a spokesperson among youth displaced by conflict. When Aung San Suu Kyi took power in 2016, her party, the National League for Democracy, pledged to prioritise ending conflict in Myanmar. Yet the country’s various ethnic groups continue to fight for increased federal autonomy. In Rakhine state, conflict is escalating between Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, and the rebel Arakan Army. Nationwide, an estimated 241,000 people like Bawk Nu Awng remain in camps, including more than 97,000 in Kachin state. Camps for internally displaced people are the most visible evidence of Myanmar’s ongoing strife. With elections coming up next year, political momentum to send displaced people home has accelerated. Kachin, which shares a border with China’s Yunnan province, is a strategic area for China’s belt and road initiative, a global development strategy that includes a multi-billion pound China-Myanmar economic corridor. In March, Yunnan officials met with the influential Kachin Baptist Convention; support for returns and a peace agreement was encouraged, with the Chinese contingent suggesting stability could bring investment and development..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
2019-08-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-10
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Burma Army troops attacked a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) battalion with assault rifles late last week, a representative of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) confirmed. Col Naw Bu, who is in charge of the KIO’s information department, said that the military launched an attack on October 19 on the KIA’s Regiment 254, located not far from the organization’s Laiza headquarters. “It’s the KIA’s patrolling battalion… it is located between Hpalap and Samar hill,” Col Naw Bu told NMG. “The Burma Army, which has been stationed on Samar, attacked our Battalion 254 between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. on October 19. Samar belongs to Kachin State. The Burma Army shot at us from Samar hill.” Col Naw Bu added that the assault was carried out with assault rifles, including machine guns, but not artillery. “They shot at us with around 20 bullets. They didn’t attack us with heavy weapons,” he said, adding that he did not know why the attack took place..."
Source/publisher: "Network Media Group" (Thailand)
2019-10-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "More than 2,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes, and 19 have been killed, since fighting broke out between government troops and ethnic minority insurgents in northern Myanmar last week, government officials said Wednesday. The escalation in hostilities in Myanmar’s fractured north is another setback for civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s bid to bring peace amid a stuttering transition from full military rule. The people displaced in the latest fighting are sheltering in monasteries around Lashio town in the north of Shan State, and are depending on aid groups and the government for their supplies, aid workers said. "We are providing basic rescue materials as well as cash to displaced people in the camps, the injured people and also to family members of those who got killed," Soe Naing, director of the Department of Disaster Management in Shan State, told Reuters..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: US News (USA)
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The return of conflict-displaced families to a Kachin State village, managed by the Tatmadaw without the input of the Kachin Independence Organisation, has deepened mistrust between the two sides of the conflict and may have endangered lives.
Description: "EIGHT YEARS after conflict in northern Myanmar resumed between the Tatmadaw and Kachin Independence Army, the Myanmar government and military have begun initiatives to return or resettle some of the more than 100,000 people displaced by the fighting. These activities, which include a national strategy for the closure of camps for internally displaced persons, or IDPs, have taken place in parallel to renewed peace negotiations with the Kachin Independence Organisation, the KIA’s political wing, aimed at securing a bilateral ceasefire. The government and the Kachin Humanitarian Concern Committee – a body that includes Kachin humanitarian and religious leaders, as well as two members of the KIO’s IDP committee – have also discussed potential cooperation on the resettlement process. After informal talks in February, the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre and KHCC met in Nay Pyi Taw in April to discuss the safe and dignified return and resettlement of IDPs, expanding humanitarian assistance to IDPs and pathways to closing the IDP camps. The inability of the KIO and the Tatmadaw to reach a bilateral ceasefire agreement has limited progress. The exception is one village in Waingmaw Township, where the Tatmadaw has overseen the return of around 200 people from camps in Myitkyina, Waingmaw and Bhamo townships..."
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Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Amid an ongoing civil war in northern Burma, some are on a different “front lines,” of sorts — facing legal consequences for protesting the conflict, or otherwise working to bring an end to the fighting..."
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Source/publisher: DVBTVenglish
2018-07-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: What Future Do We Have?' Caught in the Crossfire of Myanmar's Northern Conflict, Civilians See Little Hope
Source/publisher: Sky News
2018-06-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-19
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar caused shock waves around the world, but there is another conflict raging in the country. Fighting has intensified between government forces and Kachin rebels fighting for self-determination..."
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Source/publisher: Sky News
2018-08-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: ''Hostilities in Kachin State and northern Shan State remain almost a daily occurrence. Compared to the first two weeks of June which had five clashes and 12 attacks, July has had nine clashes and nine attacks. Most clashes have occurred in Danai and Hpakant townships. Heavy rains have reduced the number of clashes in the region, yet civilians and combatants still suffer from continued Burma Army advances. Throughout the first half of July there were six military actions in Danai Township. Nawng Nyang and Zup Mai villages, approximately 15 kilometers east of Danai Town and the Myitkyina – Danai highway, as well as Nam Hkam Village, approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Danai Town, were the areas of contention. Over 2000 people were displaced east of Danai in April, some of which only recently emerged from hiding in the jungle. Over the 14th, 15th and 16th of July, there was heavy fighting in Hpakant Township in the region west of Kamaing Town. The biggest battle occurred throughout the day of July 14th when KIA soldiers from Bum Chyang Post defended against approximately 100 Burma Army soldiers from Ja Ra Yang Base. At 1630 Burma Army forces fired four mortar rounds toward Bum Chyang from Ja Ra Yang...''
Source/publisher: Free Burma Rangers
2018-07-30
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Burma Army indiscretions in Kachin and Northern Shan states continue to wound civilians, bringing the total this month to six. Mortars fired by the Burma Army during a clash in Manton Township in Northern Shan State wounded the villager Mr. Aik Ye, hitting him with shrapnel in the waist. The clash occurred on July 18th at 12:45 between approximately 60 Burma Army soldiers and troops from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) 3rd Brigade. In Danai Township, on July 22, two civilians, Mr. Maran Tang Seng, and Ms. Gawlu Roi were wounded and one KIA soldier, Nhkum Naw Awng, were killed when they stepped on a landmine planted by the Burma Army..."
Source/publisher: Free Burma Rangers
2018-08-03
Date of entry/update: 2018-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "As recent events in Rakhine state draw international attention to fragility in Myanmar, the armed conflict in Kachin state continues to be sidelined, despite approaching its sixth anniversary and a severely deteriorating situation in recent months. Armed clashes are rampant, thousands are being displaced or re-displaced, humanitarian access is extremely restricted ? particularly to areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation ? and displaced people have minimal safe options for relocation. Armed clashes in recent months near existing IDP camps causing more than 6,000 IDPs to be re-displaced are increasing the sense of fear and anxiety, as one recently re-displaced person explained..."
Creator/author: Hkinjawng Naw (Laser), Dustin Barter
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
2017-04-07
Date of entry/update: 2017-12-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "...Myanmar?s future could still be bright. But as military offensives continue, it is vital to recognise that the recourse to armed tactics is not just a Kachin issue but a national issue as well. If there is a reversion to military rule, it might not make much difference for the Kachins who have been living under this reality for many decades, but it must give real cause for concern to everyone who supports democracy. Political solutions will never be achieved on the battlefield. Under such a scenario, there will be no winners but just losers. Military-first tactics will never end, and the present political landscape will not mark a step in transition towards peace and democratic change. Rather, the country will remain enmeshed in the unending cycles of conflict, ceasefires and broken promises that underpin state failure and national under-achievement. The task of finding peaceful solutions thus falls to us all: political parties, ethnic armed organisations, community and civil society groups, media, faith-based groups, individual activists for peace, and coalitions of interest groups. It is time to say that ?enough is enough” to military offensives. At a time of critical national change, the attitude of waiting until armed conflict is over to settle things will not work. Popular momentum is building. What is now needed is to forge a national movement in the same way as the ?Save the Irrawaddy” campaign that halted the construction of the Myitsone Dam under the Thein Sein government. People of all ethnic, political, religious and geographical backgrounds need to come together in one voice to stop the war before it is too late...."
Creator/author: Lahpai Seng Raw
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI)
2016-10-19
Date of entry/update: 2016-10-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Ta?ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the armed wing of Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF), is one of the ethnic resistance armed organisations that vows not to lay down arms until there is a guarantee of political negotiations. Burma Link spoke with two TNLA soldiers, Mai and Mai Main, who were sent by their leaders to study human rights and politics in Mae Sot, so that they could go back to Ta?ang land and educate other soldiers. These two soldiers studied in Mae Sot for a year, and believed it is their responsibility to go back to Burma to educate others and safeguard their people?s rights. In this interview, they share their story on how and why they became involved with the TNLA and why the Ta?ang people so strongly support their army. Mai and Mai Main, aged 23 and 26, are now back in the battle fields of northern Shan State." ..."END NOTE: Although TNLA is a member of the ethnic alliance United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), the government has tried to exclude the group from the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) talks. TNLA is an ally of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and fights alongside the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in northern Shan State, to obtain freedom and to establish a genuine federal union. TNLA also fights to eliminate cultivation, production, sale and use of drugs in their traditional lands. Read more."
Source/publisher: Burma Link
2015-07-13
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Trafficking and Militarized Femininity on the Burma-China Border Kachin State is an ethnic region in northern Burma that has long been in conflict with the central Burmese government.1 In 2011, a seventeen-year cease-fire was broken, resulting in the resumption of active warfare between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)—the political arm of the Kachin people—and the Burmese military, at the government?s behest. In spite of ongoing attempts at peace negotiations, the Kachin Women?s Association of Thailand has documented an alarming number of atrocities—including rape, arbitrary arrest and torture—against civilians (Kachin Women?s Association of Thailand, 2013). The area has been documented to be an active conflict zone resulting in one of the worst humanitarian crisis? in the Mekong Sub-Region (Human Rights Watch, 2014). According to a report by the prior Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, over 120,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled to border areas of Burma and China to escape the fighting (Quintana, 2014), and these communities suffer from a lack of basic necessities and little to no foreign aid. These desperate conditions have left civilians—women, in particular—very vulnerable. As a result, trafficking in women ? often to Yunnan Province as forced brides ? is on the rise. This form of trafficking, however, has not been made a priority on the policy agendas of the Burmese or Chinese governments, and there is currently no official anti-trafficking policy operating within Kachin State..."
Creator/author: Erin M. Kamler
Source/publisher: International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies: Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges: University Academic Service Centre (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 24-­26 July 2015
2015-07-26
Date of entry/update: 2015-08-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 209.76 KB
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Description: "Four different angles on Myanmar?s contemporary conflicts were on offer at the recent 2015 Myanmar/Burma Update, with speakers providing fresh insights into the roots of the Kachin conflict, the use of landmines in Burma, the role of gender in conflict, and the Pa-O-Self-Administrated Zone. Questioning the view that conflict between the Kachin minority and the Burma military is primarily resource-driven, Dr Costas Laoutides and Dr Anthony Ware of Deakin University suggested that clashes over resources are a manifestation of deeper problems to do with identity. Laoutides and Ware exposed powerful historical narratives as ideological roots of the conflict, gleaned from fieldwork interviews with key Kachin informants, including state officials and armed group members."
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
2015-06-15
Date of entry/update: 2015-06-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: KEY FINDINGS: 1. The prolonged Kachin conflict is a major obstacle to Myanmar?s national reconciliation and a challenging test for the democratization process. 2. The KIO and the Myanmar government differ on the priority between the cease-fire and the political dialogue. Without addressing this difference, the nationwide peace accord proposed by the government will most likely lack the KIO?s participation. 3. The disagreements on terms have hindered a formal cease-fire. In addition, the existing economic interest groups profiting from the armed conflict have further undermined the prospect for progress. 4. China intervened in the Kachin negotiations in 2013 to protect its national interests. A crucial motivation was a concern about the ?internationalization” of the Kachin issue and the potential US role along the Chinese border. 5. Despite domestic and external pressure, the US has refrained from playing a formal and active role in the Kachin conflict. The need to balance the impact on domestic politics in Myanmar and US-China relations are factors in US policy. 6.A The US has attempted to discuss various options of cooperation with China on the Kachin issue. So far, such attempts have not been accepted by China.
Creator/author: Yun Sun
Source/publisher: Stimson Center (Great Powers and the Changing Myanmar - Issue Brief No. 2)
2014-01-00
Date of entry/update: 2014-01-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: CONCLUSION: "The ethnic situation in the country in relation to the peace process has improved, yet major obstacles still remain. Many armed ethnic actors have called for a ?Panglong style dialogue? which the Government has suggested will happen shortly. This all-inclusive dialogue offers armed groups a number of opportunities to finally realise their aspirations. Nevertheless, a number of other armed ethnic actors will need to rethink their positions. This political dialogue will exclude some actors, either because they have no political aims or are much smaller and considered inconsequential. While the Ta-ang have made clear there aims, the future of the Arakan Army and the ABSDF-North remains firmly in the hands of the Kachin."
Creator/author: Editor: Lian H. Sakhong; Author: Paul Keenan
Source/publisher: Burma Centre for Ethnic Studies (Briefing Paper No. 14)
2013-06-00
Date of entry/update: 2013-07-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "KACHIN STATE, 3 June 2013 (IRIN) - The UN and others have welcomed recent peace talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire in Myanmar?s conflict-affected Kachin State, but building trust will take time, say experts. On 31 May, the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), which has been fighting for greater autonomy for decades, agreed to further dialogue and talks on the resettlement of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are more than 85,000 IDPs in Kachin and Shan states (both in the north), including over 50,000 (58.5 percent) in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the military wing of the KIO. Many others are staying with host families. Over the past two years, hundreds have been killed in the conflict and there has been extensive damage to livelihoods and infrastructure. According to the recently released inter-agency Kachin Response Plan, an upsurge in fighting in late 2012 triggered the displacement of several thousand more people. Since the resumption of peace talks in February, fewer have been displaced, but there have not yet been significant numbers of IDPs returning to their homes due to ongoing tensions, lack of livelihood opportunities, and landmines..."
Source/publisher: IRIN
2013-06-03
Date of entry/update: 2013-06-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Key Points: • Myanmar?s central democratic reforms have received broad backing, enabling it to boost its legitimacy and consolidate its hold on power. • Although tentative ceasefires have been concluded with most of the ethno-nationalist armed groups, there is no clear timeline or plan to address longstanding demands for self-rule and the protection of cultural identities. • Meanwhile, the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), the principal protagonist in the struggle for ethnic rights, has been the focus of sustained military offensives. As Myanmar?s democratic reform process rumbles on, military offensives continue despite ceasefires between most of the ethno-nationalist rebel armies and the government. Curtis W Lambrecht examines the road to peace in the country.
Creator/author: Curtis W Lambrecht
Source/publisher: Jane?s Terrorism and Security Monitor, May 2013,
2013-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2013-05-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 94.65 KB
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Description: "The fighting in Kachin areas – the Kachin State itself and Kachin-majority parts of northern Shan State – has been one of the most serious threats to peace during Myanmar?s transition since it erupted in June 2011, ending a seventeen-year-long ceasefire. It remains the last of Myanmar?s decades-long ethnic conflicts not currently to have a ceasefire. Since Crisis Group first raised concerns in November 2011 about the grave consequences the breakdown of the ceasefire could pose for the country?s New Peace Initiative, other Storm Clouds have gathered on the country?s horizon, including virulent inter-communal violence in Rakhine State. These are serious challenges that must be overcome if Myanmar is to keep its broadly positive transition on track. But as Myanmar can see from the Indonesian experience, transitions are complicated, long, and often messy processes. They do not always end up as those who advocated or started them intended. There are many deviations and frequently bumps in the road..."
Creator/author: Jim Della-Giacoma
Source/publisher: International Crisis Group
2013-01-10
Date of entry/update: 2013-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Conclusions and Recommendations: * The government should halt all offensive operations against the KIO and other armed ethnic forces. Armed conflict will worsen, not resolve, Burma?s ethnic and political crises. The violence contradicts promises to achieve reform through dialogue, and undermines democratic and economic progress for the whole country. * Ethnic peace must be prioritised as an integral part of political, economic and constitutional reform. Dialogue must be established to include ethnic groups that are outside the national political system. * Restrictions on humanitarian aid to the victims of conflict must be lifted. With hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in the ethnic borderlands, a long-term effort is required to ensure that aid truly reaches to the most vulnerable and needy peoples as part of any process of peace-building. * Economic and development programmes must benefit local peoples. Land-grabbing and unsustainable business practices must halt, and decisions on the use of natural resources and regional development must have the participation of local communities and representatives. * The international community must play an informed and neutral role in supporting ethnic peace and political reform. Human rights? progress remains essential, all ethnic groups should be included, and economic investments made only with the consultation of local peoples.
Source/publisher: Transnational Institute (TNI), Burma Centre Netherlands
2013-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2013-03-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The following urgent appeal and harrowing account of the situation in northern Burma comes from Kachin State, where long-time Burma researcher and author Guy Horton reports that not only is there no sign of the promised ceasefire between the Burmese Army and the Kachin Independence Army, but the fighting is intensifying and the humanitarian situation is worsening..."
Creator/author: Guy Horton
Source/publisher: The Best Friend International
2013-01-25
Date of entry/update: 2013-01-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The past few weeks have seen some of the heaviest fighting in Myanmar?s decades-long civil war with government forces launching determined attacks against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an ethnic force in the far north of the country. And for the first time ever, the government has used helicopter gunships and attack aircraft against the country?s ethnic rebels. Most of the fighting is taking place around the KIA?s headquarters at the border town of Laiza near China, and the government seems determined to crush the Kachin resistance and gain control over the area now administered by the rebels. The military campaign also sends signals to about a dozen other ethnic armies which have entered into ceasefire agreements with the government. In a statement issued on January 1, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an umbrella organisation of 12 such ethnic groups based mainly on the Thai border in the south, said they felt threatened by the offensive as well - and called for unity among Myanmar?s multitude of traditionally factious ethnic militias. "If we are not able to act collectively now we will be destroyed individually," said a participant at the meeting that adopted the statement..."
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: AL Jazeera
2013-01-10
Date of entry/update: 2013-01-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "LAIZA - Helicopter gunships hover in the sky above a battlefield. The constant sound of explosions and gunfire pierce the night for an estimated 100,000 refugees and internally displaced people. Military hospitals are full of wounded government soldiers, while bridges, communication lines and other crucial infrastructure lie in war-torn ruins. The images and sounds on the ground in Myanmar?s northern Kachin State shatter the impression of peace, reconciliation and a steady march towards democracy that President Thein Sein?s government has bid to convey to the outside world. In reality, the situation in this remote corner of one of Asia?s historically most troubled nations is depressingly normal..."
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: "Asia Times Online"
2012-12-18
Date of entry/update: 2012-12-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "...As we all know, the new war in the Kachin and Shan State?s commenced on 9 June 2011, after a ceasefire had held for 18 years. Over those ceasefire years the Kachin Independence Army/Organisation and the Burmese Army were prepared to do business. They developed mechanisms for managing long-term grievances and the political, economic and cultural interests of the peoples of northern Burma. The fact that the ceasefire never led to a final peace agreement was a major frustration for all parties. Pragmatically, though, they considered the ceasefire better than the alternatives. Until, that is, the war re-ignited. This new war did not spark in isolation, and my goal is to introduce four questions to help us contextualise the new Kachin conflict. We should also bear in mind that since President Thein Sein took power there have been many other parts of the country where conflict has erupted. This map illustrates the 2011 hotspots. When the year is finished the map for 2012 will look almost as stark, especially once sectarian staff in Rakhine State is included. With the transition to more participatory politics underway, Burma?s tragic history of inter-ethnic strife is clearly still not over. For today my four questions will, I hope, set our minds to the political context of renewed fighting in Kachin areas. The questions are: *What is this new war? *Why is the government fighting the Kachin? *What would a new deal look like? *Is democracy a precondition for peace? ..."
Creator/author: Nicholas Farrelly
Source/publisher: "New Mandala"
2012-11-15
Date of entry/update: 2012-11-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: News items about the Kachin situation, ceasefires, refugees and human rights
Source/publisher: Polaris Burmese Library Collections
2012-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2012-10-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.94 MB
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Description: • In the past year, the Tatmadaw has deployed nearly 25% of its battalions to Kachin State, escalating its war with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and bringing further suffering to civilian populations in Kachin State and Northern Shan State. • Tatmadaw soldiers have constantly targeted civilians in Kachin State and Northern Shan States as part of their military operations against the KIA. Human rights abuses have included extrajudicial killings, rape of women, arbitrary arrests, torture, forced displacement, the use of human shields, forced labor, and the confiscation and destruction of property. All of these systematic abuses would be considered war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law. • The ongoing conflict has displaced about 75,000 people, including at least 10,000 refugees who crossed the border into China. Despite the severity of the situation, the regime has frustrated relief efforts, severely restricting humanitarian access to local and international organizations. • The KIA?s political leadership, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), has made repeated attempts to negotiate a lasting peace in Kachin State. However, the regime has rejected the KIO?s request to discuss long-term political solutions prior to a ceasefire agreement. BACKGROUND: 2008 constitution, 2010 elections, BGF, energy projects, and human rights abuses
Source/publisher: ALTSEAN-Burma
2012-06-08
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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