15 December 2015

Kachin State and Shan State, Burma

Burma Army intensifies attacks against ethnics in spite of elections.

During October and November 2015 the Burma Army increased their attacks against the Shan, Ta’ang Kokang and Kachin peoples, displacing 10,000 people in Kachin State and Northern Shan State, Burma.  In spite of elections and talks of ceasefires, the Burma Army troop presence, reinforcements, and resupply in Kachin and Northern Shan States has risen to levels not seen since the Burma Army broke the 17-year ceasefire agreement with Kachin State in 2011. Similar to the 2011 offensive, the Burma Army has employed helicopter gunships and fighter jets to target ethnic resistance groups. This heightened aggression came both prior to and after the November elections and indicates a desire by the Burma Army and Burma government to gain complete control over the ethnic peoples. And it terms of the transition to democracy, General Min Aung Hlaing, commander of the Burma Army, was recently quoted by the editor of Network Myanmar as saying : “We must change gradually. Right now we are not ready for change”.

Attacks: In October, the Burma Army conducted a large-scale ground offensive against the Shan and especially against the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) Headquarters in Wan Hai, Northern Shan State. Intermittent clashes in the Wan Hai, Mong Hsu, area continued throughout October and November displacing over 10,000 villagers.  In Mid-November the Burma Army launched a coordinated ground and air campaign against Kachin Independence Army (KIA) 8^th Brigade Headquarters in Mohnyin Township, Kachin Township. In November the Burma army also launched attacks against the Ta’ang and Kokang people of Northern Shan State.

For more details see this website and do pray with our brothers and sisters in Christ for Christ’s peace, reconciliation and healing to cover Burma and its diverse tribes. Pray that the new democratic government will be able to end the ethnic conflicts in the land that have ravaged it for so many years.

http://www.freeburmarangers.org/2015/12/14/fbr-report-octobernovember-update-burma-army-offensives-against-kia-no-8-brigade-hq-and-ssppssa-hq/final-update-of-kachin-and-shan-map/

Locations of Major Aerial and Tank Attacks in Kachin State and Northern Shan State; Location of heightened aggression in Central Shan State, where clashes have resulted in thousands of new IDPs.