New Year called off in Northern Shan due to ongoing conflict
Townships
in northern Shan State, including Muse, Hsenwi and Namkham, have said that they
will not hold Shan New Year celebrations next week due to security concerns.
Sai Myat
Aung, the general secretary of the Shan Literature and Culture Association in
Muse, said that due to intensified fighting between Burmese
armed forces and ethnic armed groups in the area, they have decided to cancel all
festivities.
Muse Township
traditionally hosts one of the grandest Shan New Year’s celebrations with stage
performances featuring music and dance. This year, Shan New Year falls on
November 30.
“Right
now, the situation is uncertain,” Sai Myat Aung told Shan Herald today.
“No one can take responsibility for security. If anything happens, innocent
people could suffer. That’s why we decided not to hold it.”
He said
that, last year, two residents were arrested by an ethnic armed group during
Shan New Year but no one took responsibility for the incident.
Clashes
broke out on November 20 between the Burmese army and an ethnic alliance
– the
Arakan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Myanmar National Democratic
Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – an armed
coalition that has named itself the “Northern Alliance”. Since then, thousands of people from Muse
Township have fled their homes, with more than 3,000 seeking refuge across the
border in China.
On November
22, Shan Herald reported that following rumors that renewed
fighting would erupt, many business owners closed their shops and joined the
exodus, leaving the town of Muse – one of Burma’s major border trading points –
eerily quiet.
Fighting
continues. Clashes have broken out not only in Muse but also in other areas,
including Namkham and Kutkai townships. The attacks are generally targeted at police
stations and Burmese army outposts. According to Burma’s State Counselor’s Office,
at least 10 civilians are among the dead, with more than 30 injured.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: News, War
