China reinforces troops at Shan border
Following intensified hostilities between Burmese
government forces and ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State, the Chinese
military has beefed up its manpower and munitions along the border, according
to local sources.
Sai Bee, a resident in Muse Township who fled across
the border to the Chinese town of Shweli to escape the recent fighting, told Shan
Herald that he saw tanks and more than 200 military trucks full of soldiers
arriving at the China-Burma border on Saturday.
“More than 200 military trucks, tanks and heavy weapons,
including machine guns, came in with the troops and they are now positioned near
the border,” he said. “It has been reported that they have been sent in to
protect the border area, but we do not know what is going to happen next.”
According to Ko Aung Aung who is also a resident in
Muse, at least ten Burmese military trucks with troops and weapons from Lashio
were on Friday heading to the volatile areas of 105-Mile, Parng Zai and Mong Koe
in Muse District.
“During these past few days, we have not heard any gunfire
in the area,” he said. “However, in the city [Muse], there are barely
any people – only security guards remain there.”
Also on the Chinese border, in Namkham, some 30
kilometres southwest of Muse, security is reported to be “very tight.” Any
travelers or traders going in and out the town are searched carefully, and the local
bridge linking Shan and Kachin states has been closed since November 23.
Last Thursday, Chinese and Burmese delegations met
in Burma’s capital to discuss the ongoing conflict in northern Shan State,
according to the President’s Office in Naypyidaw.
Meanwhile, last Sunday, November 20, a coalition of
ethnic militias – the Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Myanmar
National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army
(TNLA) – launched a joint
military operation against Burmese government outposts and police stations
in the Muse Township villages of 105-Mile, Mong Koe and Parng Zai, as well
as in Namkham and Kutkai townships.
Fighting has left at least ten civilians dead and 30
injured, and has compelled tens of thousands, including women and children, to
flee their homes.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
