{"id":74686,"date":"2019-06-15T21:27:12","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T01:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freeburmarangers.org\/?p=74686"},"modified":"2019-06-15T21:27:12","modified_gmt":"2019-06-16T01:27:12","slug":"fighting-northern-burma-shows-renewed-military-campaign-burma-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.freeburmarangers.org\/my\/2019\/06\/15\/fighting-northern-burma-shows-renewed-military-campaign-burma-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Fighting in Northern Burma Shows Renewed Military Campaign by the Burma Army"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fighting in Northern Burma Shows Renewed Military Campaign by the Burma Army<\/span><\/h1>\n

15 June 2019<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Northern Burma<\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019
\nDuring April and the first part of May,\u00a0Burma Army soldiers from two Light Infantry Divisions (LID), several\u00a0Light Infantry Battalions (LIB), and three Infantry Battalions (IB) traversed northern\u00a0Shan State and Kachin State,\u00a0engaging in clashes nearly every day with different ethnic armed organizations\u00a0(EAOs).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Burma Army units involved were LID 99 and LID 101; LIBs 11,\u00a012, 109, 363, 365, 418, 419, 420, 426, and 427; and IBs 10, 90, 252, and 253. The\u00a0ethnic armed\u00a0organizations involved were the 8th, 9th,\u00a034th,\u00a0and 36th\u00a0battalions of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), troops from the Ta\u2019ang National Liberation Army (TNLA),\u00a0the Myanmar National\u00a0Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), which is a wing of\u00a0the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP). The affected townships, in\u00a0order of most\u00a0fighting to least, were Muse, Kutkai, Theinni, Manton, Momauk, and Hpakant.\u00a0Other non-clash incidents also occurred in Danai and Waingmaw.<\/p>\n

The geographic spread of the clashes as well as their frequency\u00a0and the number of units and troops involved indicate renewed military campaigning by the\u00a0Burma Army. In several\u00a0townships, the incidents were chance encounters between\u00a0Burma Army troops and ethnic troops, but in a few, particularly Kutkai and\u00a0Muse, the fighting was a coordinated\u00a0effort.<\/p>\n

MUSE (N. Shan State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Muse\u00a0Township a\u00a0five-day clash broke out between Burma Army LID 99 and the KIA 36th\u00a0Battalion after the KIA detonated a mine under a bridge that Burma Army\u00a0troops were\u00a0crossing.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0clashes started on April 18. In the afternoon\u00a0at\u00a0about 1500 hrs, 60 Burma Army soldiers\u00a0from LID 99 were moving along the road from Maihpung Village. Just as they\u00a0were\u00a0crossing over the Nam Hkawm bridge, militiamen from the KIA 36th\u00a0Battalion detonated two remote mines under the bridge. The number of injured or\u00a0killed Burma Army\u00a0troops is not known, but LID 99 reacted aggressively to the attack.\u00a0After a day\u2019s pause to organize, they sent out groups of 80 to 100 soldiers to\u00a0nearby villages to find the KIA.\u00a0Heavy fighting started as the KIA defended\u00a0against the Burma Army\u2019s advances and the fighting continued through the rest\u00a0of the week until April 24.<\/p>\n

On April\u00a020 at 0730, Burma Army troops began fighting with the KIA while advancing to Nam Hkawng\u00a0Bum (\u201cBum\u201d means hill). The fighting continued sporadically through the morning until 1500,\u00a0when\u00a0Burma Army soldiers stationed near Mile Marker 105 fired ten 120mm mortar\u00a0rounds into the KIA\u2019s vicinity.<\/p>\n

The next\u00a0day, April 21, about 50 troops from LID 99 headed toward Kaidu Kawng Village, only\u00a0to be met by combined troops from the KIA 36th\u00a0Battalion and the Shan\u00a0State\u00a0Army-North (SSA-N), who had come to the KIA\u2019s aid. The first wave of fighting\u00a0happened around 1420. After a brief lull, fighting picked up again at 1530 when\u00a0another 50 Burma\u00a0Army troops came in as reinforcements. About 100 soldiers\u00a0attacked Kaidu Kawng Village, as well as Bau Noi Village. The Burma Army\u00a0soldiers then branched out and headed\u00a0toward Kunghkang Bum, where they fought\u00a0again with KIA militiamen at 1800.<\/p>\n

All\u00a0morning long on April 22, from 0800 to 1200, Burma Army soldiers pressed an\u00a0attack on a KIA 36th\u00a0Battalion station at Yihku Kawng. Then, around\u00a01430, they found and\u00a0attacked the 36th Battalion headquarters, which is located\u00a0in an old Howa village. After taking a short while to prepare, they\u00a0attacked the headquarters from three sides.\u00a0Fighting between LID 99 and the KIA\u00a0around the headquarters continued through the rest of April 22 and stretched\u00a0into the morning of April 23.<\/p>\n

On April\u00a023 the Burma Army called in reinforcements and a convoy of 15 Burma Army military\u00a0trucks started driving from Munggu. Once the KIA became aware of the convoy,\u00a0they\u00a0sent militiamen to attack it. The militiamen detonated two remote mines along the\u00a0route, one at Nampa Tek at 1246 and two at Namtau\u00a0Village at\u00a01300, 15 minutes later.<\/p>\n

No other\u00a0fighting is recorded until May 1 at 1220, when the KIA 36th\u00a0Battalion attacked 40 Burma\u00a0Army soldiers from LID 99 in Maw Tawng Village by detonating\u00a0a remote mine. They killed three soldiers.<\/p>\n

KUTKAI (N. Shan State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Kutkai Township, the area around Dima Village\u00a0was\u00a0a hot spot, with\u00a0Burma Army\u00a0soldiers from LID 99 and LIBs 418, 419, and 420 all encamping nearby. On April 7, an\u00a0estimated 400 soldiers demanded and took rice and chicken from villagers in Nam\u00a0Um Village, which is between Dima and Mawhkam. When the villagers protested,\u00a0the soldiers\u00a0threatened to set fire to their houses.<\/p>\n

The KIA 9th\u00a0Battalion was the main ethnic armed group near Dima. On April 18, between 0940\u00a0and 1200, they clashed with about 60 Burma Army soldiers from LIB 418 at\u00a0Gadung\u00a0Kawgn, between Dima and Mung Li. In the afternoon at 1500, they clashed with another\u00a050 Burma Army soldiers between Dima and Dak Nai.<\/p>\n

Altogether,\u00a0the KIA 9th\u00a0Battalion had an active month. In addition to the\u00a0mid-April fighting around Dima, they engaged with the Burma Army in other areas\u00a0of Kutkai. On April\u00a05 at 1710 in the afternoon, they met and fought 50 Burma\u00a0Army soldiers between Man Hawng Village and Hu Hpyet Village. On the 29th, KIA militia clashed with an estimated 50 Burma Army soldiers from\u00a0IB 10 at Kawngmu (around 1400 hours) and another 50 soldiers\u00a0from LID 427 who were advancing toward Bum Pri Bum. The KIA defended against LID 427\u2019s advance, but the Burma Army soldiers\u00a0stayed persistent.\u00a0The fighting, which occurred near Nam Pati Village, stretched over two days.<\/p>\n

The TNLA also clashed with\u00a0the Burma Army in Kutkai on two separate occasions. The first engagement occurred\u00a0on April 10 at 0945, when an estimated 80 soldiers under\u00a0LID 99 clashed with\u00a0TNLA soldiers at Makawk Pa. One civilian caught in the middle, 71-year-old Mr.\u00a0Sham Lat, received a neck injury. The second clash happened on April 22\u00a0at 1330.\u00a0TNLA No. 112 fought with Burma Army troops near Nam Sare Village, above Nam\u00a0Hkam Village.<\/p>\n

THEINNI (N. Shan State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Theinni\u00a0Township, Burma Army soldiers clashed with ethnic armed troops on a few\u00a0separate occasions, though there did not appear to be any coordinated Burma Army campaign.\u00a0The first\u00a0incident occurred on April 19 in the early morning between 0630 and\u00a00800. An estimated 80 Burma Army soldiers from LIB 363, coming from Mung Yaw,\u00a0clashed with 60\u00a0combined troops from the MNDAA and TNLA around the old site of Pang\u00a0Huk Village.<\/p>\n

On April\u00a027 at 1330 hrs, there was heavy fighting between an estimated 120 combined\u00a0Burma Army soldiers from LIBs 365 and 419 and KIA soldiers from 17th\u00a0Battalion\u00a0at\u00a0Laushi Village.<\/p>\n

MNDAA troops\u00a0clashed twice with Burma Army soldiers while traveling through the hills. On\u00a0May 2 at 1115, MNDAA soldiers from Unit 201 fought briefly with some 80\u00a0Burma\u00a0Army soldiers from MOC 10 at Loi Dau Bum. On May 11 at 1430, another 80 Burma\u00a0Army soldiers from LIB 109, traveling from Loi Chyan Village, clashed with\u00a0MNDAA soldiers at Nawng Heng Hill.<\/p>\n

MANTON (N. Shan State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Manton\u00a0Township saw a few clashes and one day of all-day fighting during April and May.<\/span><\/p>\n

On April\u00a025 at 0710 in the morning, KIA soldiers from 8th\u00a0Battalion\u00a0clashed with Burma Army soldiers at Kawng Ai Da near Dung Gyeng Village.<\/p>\n

On May 8 at\u00a01315, KIA soldiers from 34th\u00a0Battalion detonated four remote mines\u00a0against Burma Army troops from IBs 252 and 253 who were advancing up the road\u00a0toward Battalion headquarters. The attack happened at a road junction near\u00a0Nhkum Kahtawng Village. The Burma Army troops counterattacked and continued fighting through the\u00a0afternoon. Soon fighting spread to the nearby village of\u00a0Pyaw Dawng Kawng, with main clashes at 1536 and 1630. By the time fighting\u00a0ended near sunset, a total of 19 Burma\u00a0Army troops were reported killed; five from\u00a0the mine detonations and 14 from the subsequent fighting.<\/p>\n

A week\u00a0later on May 15, at 2130 at night, KIA\u00a0soldiers from 34th\u00a0Battalion defended against an\u00a0attack by an estimated 80 Burma Army soldiers at Nam Lam Zup. The soldiers belonged to IB 80 and came from\u00a0Lapran\u00a0Tangdi (a Ta\u2019ang village).<\/p>\n

MOMAUK (Kachin State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only one incident is recorded in Momauk Township. On April 2 at\u00a01325 hrs, there was a chance encounter between eight KIA soldiers and seven Burma Army\u00a0soldiers from LIB 426.\u00a0The KIA soldiers were checking landmines in a cornfield\u00a0between Dingga Village and Hka La Village when they ran into the Burma Army\u00a0soldiers.<\/p>\n

HPAKANT (Kachin State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hpakant\u00a0was largely spared any fighting with the Burma Army, but still had its share of\u00a0problems. On April 22 at 2340, a massive landslide at a mining quarry near Nba\u00a0La Hka\u00a0Maw Village overturned 11 backhoes and 30 dump trucks, leaving an estimated\u00a056 workers injured or killed. Three separate companies were mining at the\u00a0quarry: Myanmar\u00a0Thura, Naga Ko Kaung, and KNDPC. The ongoing war is not Burma\u2019s\u00a0only problem \u2013 poor infrastructure and hazardous working conditions continue to\u00a0take many lives each\u00a0year.<\/p>\n

As for\u00a0incidents related to the Burma Army, two happened during April and May, both of\u00a0which included intimidating and assaulting civilians. On April 6, some 60\u00a0Burma\u00a0Army soldiers from LIB 11 attempted to get information on the KIA\u2019s\u00a0whereabouts. They questioned Mr. Zakhung Sin Gan, a watchman employed by Mr.\u00a0Lamung Gun in the\u00a0Kamaing Maji Quarter. When he could not give them the\u00a0information they were looking for, they beat him. The soldiers were stationed\u00a0at Ma U Pin.<\/p>\n

On May 2\u00a0at 2100, another group of about 40 Burma Army soldiers from LIB 12, stationed\u00a0at Kapmaw, arrested the manager and several employees of the Buk Sung Ma\u00a0woodworking center in Lahkraw Hkahku. The reason for the arrests was not given.<\/p>\n

DANAI (Kachin State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

No\u00a0fighting was recorded in Danai Township during April and the first half of May,\u00a0but Burma Army soldiers may be making preparations for increased activity in\u00a0the future. On\u00a0May 16, Burma Army\u00a0soldiers positioned at a post above Dabyi Hka Zup, south of Danai River, did not allow the civilians to go to or from Awng Lawt Village. They\u00a0also banned\u00a0the boats returning from the crop yards.<\/p>\n

WAINGMAW (Kachin State)<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was no fighting in Waingmaw Township, but on May 10 in the\u00a0morning, a house in the Hpare IDP Camp caught on fire, destroying everything\u00a0inside. Four families lived in\u00a0the house, but there were no recorded deaths.<\/p>\n