Shan State govt calls emergency meeting
The Shan State government has convened an emergency
meeting in state capital Taunggyi following two weeks of intense fighting in
northern Shan State between Burmese government forces and a coalition of four
ethnic armed groups known as the Northern Alliance.
According
to Shan State Chief Minister Dr. Linn Htut, MPs will discuss the circumstances
and effects of the ongoing conflict, as well as the budget for the 2017-18
fiscal year and development issues.
Speaking
at a parliamentary session of the lower house in Naypyidaw on December 2, Home
Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe said that the so-called Northern Alliance –
comprising the Arakan Army (AA); Kachin
Independence Army (KIA); Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA); and
Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – should
be classified as a terrorist organization in accordance with the law.
The Shan State assembly
has begun the discussions on that issue on Monday. Although parliamentary
details are yet to be announced, the debate is scheduled to last four days.
The recent conflict was
ignited after the ethnic alliance launched coordinated offensives against Burmese army and police outposts on
November 20. Thereafter, clashes
have broken out in the Muse Township villages of 105-Mile, Mong Koe and Parng
Zai, as well as in Namkham and Kutkai townships.
Hostilities have intensified,
particularly in Mong Koe, a town on the Shan-China border. According to a
statement published on December 5 by the Northern Alliance, the Burmese
military launched offensives using heavy weapons including airstrikes by
fighter jets in residential areas. The ethnic militias claim that schools,
religious buildings and homes were destroyed in the raids.
“Four people were killed
and two others injured,” read the statement.
On
December 1, Shan Herald reported that a group of 70 people from Mong
Koe had reportedly been arrested by Burmese troops while en route to a wedding.
According
to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services on Sunday, the Burmese
army has now retaken control of Mong Koe town from the ethnic rebels.
Since
November 23, about 10,000 people have fled their homes to escape the spreading
hostilities. Many sought refuge in makeshift shelters in Muse, while others crossed the border into China. Last week, several hundred villagers
returned home, though another 700 remain camped inside religious buildings across
Muse Township.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: News, Politics
