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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Soldiers perish without cause in Kachin frontline

Asian Correspondent
By Zin Linn Oct 05, 2011


Political analysts and observers have been deeply concerned about widespread war in Kachin State. People are disappointing with the Thein Sein government for breaking every promise with the ethnic ceasefire groups.

KIA officials repeatedly said the civil war will spread across Kachin and Shan states if the government starts a war with the KIO. The latest series of armed clashes in Kachin state have prompted observers to think that intentional warfare in the border regions may not be avoidable.

The government’s wrong step of handling the Kachin topic seems to be pushing the nation into an abysmal gorge of tragedies. New military offensives of Burma Army on the Kachin, Karen and Shan armed groups will steer the nation into a ruthless poverty trap.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi released a statement dated June 20 calling for both the government and the KIO to stop heavy fighting immediately in order to protect people’s lives and properties. It also called for peaceful talks between stakeholders to settle the decade-long political crisis of the country.

An open letter dated July-28 released by Burma’s pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, remarkably called for a cessation of hostilities between the Burmese government led by President Thein Sein, and ethnic armed groups, including the KIO, Karen National Union (KNU), New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Shan State Army (SSA).

However, the government turns a deaf ear to public calling for peace-talks with Kachin ethnic group.

Although government troops have suffered heavy casualties, the decision-makers are still dragging their feet to stop the useless confrontation. They have no sympathy for their fallen soldiers.

Ongoing civil war in Kachin State has been intensifying in various fronts. On Tuesday, Burma armed forces expended their offensive in central Kachin State. The fighting took place around Ja Ing Yang Village, near Sinbo, in central Kachin State.

The People’s Army soldiers under the KIA’s 3rd Brigade in eastern Kachin, geared up for self-protective warfare. During fighting against the People’s Army under the KIA, several government soldiers died in action, referring local residents Kachin News Group said Wednesday.

As the momentum increases in the civil war in Burma’s northern Kachin State, about 40Burma Army’s soldiers were killed in a single day, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) source in the war zone confirmed on Tuesday.

According to one KIA officer in the frontline, there were no KIA casualties in Tuesday-battle.

Skirmishing between government troops and Kachin people’s armed forces has been taking place daily in different areas in the Shadan Pa Valley, close to Ja Ing Yang, according to local inhabitants.

As said by KIA officials in Laiza, since the last week of September, hundreds of government troops have arrived in those areas likely to launch a new offensive against the KIA headquarters at Laiza.

The KIA strongholds at Laiza – Alen Bum, Laisin Bum, Hpalap Bum and Mai Ja Yang – in eastern Kachin State is in conjunction with the Chinese border. It is situated approximately 25 miles west of the current battle-sites.

The Burma Army is heightening its offensives against the KIA strongholds, since Shadan Pa and Ja Ing Yang are situated at strategic positions, KIA officials said. The fighting continues in the two areas, natives in the war zone said. There are casualties in daily basic.

The President of Burma should take into consideration that all the fallen soldiers – Burmese or Kachin – are citizens of this nation as well as manpower resources of the underdeveloped country. If the new president and the government truly want to reconstruct the country into a democratic and developed society, all the wars with respective ethnic rebels including KIO/KIA must be immediately stopped.

If President Thein Sein has genuine inspiration of poverty alleviation, he must stop all forms of civil conflict that make the country underprivileged in the region. Most analysts agree that allowing civil war and saying poverty alleviation looks like an impractical guiding principle.

So, it is really important for the president to end the civil war, especially war against Kachin. By doing so, president has to show the country is on the right reform path and can gain trust domestically and internationally.


http://asiancorrespondent.com/author/uzinlinn/

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