fighting

A heavy artillery offensive by the Burma Army against a Shan armed group resulted in residents of nine villages being evacuated. Local sources told Karen News that following the Burma Army’s artillery bombardment on May 9 the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army’s (RCSS/SAA) abandoned its camp at Nan Khan Township, Northern Shan State. The RCSS/SAA’s spokesperson Major Sai…

Myaing Gyi Ngu villagers have fled fighting between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the government-controlled militia, the Border Guard Force (BGF). A Myaing Gyi Ngu resident said that the fighting started on April 27 and forced villagers from Shwe Nardar Myaing, Pidouk Myaing, Ninsi Myaing, and Ziza Wah Myaing to take refuge to safety in nearby villages that were…

The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) based at a monastery in Myaing Gyi Ngu village, Hlaing Bwe Township, Karen State, was twice attacked by a the Border Guard Force (BGF) on April 28. A source close to the DKBA, who asked not to be named, told Karen News that fighting was between BGF Battalion 1011 under the command of Major…

A report by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) documents civilian casualties from Burma Army attacks in Kachin areas, and urges the international community to ramp up pressure on Burma’s government to stop the attacks. The report states that civilians are getting killed as Burma’s military launches offensives against Kachin Independence Army (KIA) forces. The report, “State terror in the…

Fighting broke out between the government’s Border Guard Force militia and the Karen National Liberation Army close to Mae La Hta village in Papun Township, Karen State. The conflict erupted last week wounding two in the conflict – a KNLA soldier and a civilian. KNLA sources said militia from Border Guard Force battalion 1014 based at Mae Seik village attacked…

Burma’s Army launched new air and artillery strikes against the Kachin Independence Army on the 18th of January despite the government announcing a ceasefire to begin 6am on Saturday. Humanitarian groups monitoring the situation from inside Kachin State said air strikes had stopped but heavy artillery continues to bombarded KIA positions. The ceasefire announcement comes as the U.S. and UK…

Two of Burma’s most significant opposition alliances have united to condemn the government’s escalation of the Kachin conflict and criticize the ceasefire it announced on Saturday. The United Nationalities Federal Council and The National Council of the Union of Burma have released statements condemning President U Thein Sien’s government’s war in Kachin State as a step backward in achieving peace…

Since December, Burma Army’s use of helicopter gunships and jets to support ground offensives against Kachin Independence Army (KIA), with civilians being killed in the crossfire. New offensives
have opened in Lajayang, Pang Wa, and Nam San Yang. The humanitarian organisation, Free Burma Rangers (FBR), which delivers aid to IDP’s in the area of conflict, says attacks have occurred in Hpum…

First use of airstrikes by the government in twenty years raises prospect of increased numbers of civilian deaths in conflict areas – community groups condemned air strikes. The Burma Army’s appalling human rights abuses, especially in the conflict zones of ethnic states is well documented by international humanitarian groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International On 2 January 2013,…

The humanitarian group, Free Burma Rangers, released a statement from Kachin State that claims the Burma military is using jet fighters and helicopters to attack the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) with chemical munitions. “The Burma military uses two fighter jets – shooting machine guns, dropping bombs and using chemical munitions (possibly HC CS – or some form of tear gas/riot…