2 villagers killed as hundreds flee clashes between Burma Army and TNLA
At least two villagers were killed by shelling and another
300 fled their homes amid fighting between Burmese armed forces and the Ta’ang
National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State.
According to TNLA’s news and information department,
two local people in Wan Penghoi Village, Kutkhai Township, were killed and
another was seriously injured earlier this week when Burmese army battalion 45
launched artillery shells at TNLA positions near the village.
“Tar Aik Tae, 44, died at the scene,” the TNLA
reported. “His wife Yar Aye Am, 41, was taken to hospital and pronounced dead
later. Tar Aik Sam, 53, was seriously injured.”
A week of ongoing hostilities also forced villagers
to flee their homes in Namhsan Township’s Man Lan village.
“In Lashio Township, there are currently 141 evacuees
sheltering in Khur Nong Mon temple; 87 people at Shwe Kyethi Thatanar temple;
and 79 in Aung Yartharnar temple,” resident Sai Seng told Shan Herald.
He said that the temples were helping gather support for the evacuees, but
rainy season conditions were exacerbating the problems.
The TNLA news reported that some villagers had been captured
and detained by the Burmese army, according to a joint statement on June 27 by the
Ta’ang Women’s Organization and Ta’ang Youth Organization. The statement urged both
sides to cease hostilities and release all detainees immediately.
Fighting between Burmese units and the TNLA has
broken out regularly in various areas in northern Shan State, including Namhsan,
Kyaukme, Kutkhai, Muse and Namkham.
The TNLA was excluded from the
first round of peace talks, unofficially dubbed the 21stCentury
Panglong Conference, or 21CPC, in 2016. However, the group did attend the
second round of political dialogue, represented as a member of the newly formed
Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC), which is headed
by the United Wa State Army (UWSA).
Tags: Human Rights, News
