fighting

MAI JA YANG, Kachin State (Myanmar Now) – It’s nearly dinner time at the dormitory in Mai Ja Yang and teachers are busy in the kitchen, while several teenagers are lounging on benches outside the building in this Kachin rebel-controlled town on the Myanmar-China border. While some sleep or read, La Phai, 16, is strumming his guitar. He said he…

The ongoing conflict in Shan and Kachin State is escalating, according to frontline humanitarian organization, Free Burma Rangers, with two civilians killed. “The Burma Army is currently engaged in an escalating conflict in both northern Shan and Kachin states. The situation has left several dead, including a 22-year-old man killed by a landmine, and others injured, such as a 39-year-old…

Reports are emerging of a series of small scale attacks by Burma Army forces against Kachin Independence Army positions throughout Kachin State, and on the Shan-Kachin State border. Free Burma Rangers, a frontline humanitarian aid agency, has reported that the attacks have led to “several” civilian casualties including a 60-year-old woman, killed and a 7-year-old girl, badly injured by gunfire.…

Three people were wounded when a landmine exploded as they were sightseeing in Northern Burma on Tuesday 26 April. The three people were two German tourists and their local guide. The area where the explosion took place is close to where the Burma Army is fighting with an ethnic Shan armed group. AFP reported that the three injured people were…

A Burma Army attack on a village on the Shan-Kachin State border has seen civilians targeted and killed, according to a report by the front line humanitarian organisation Free Burma Rangers. The attack happened on the 30th of March at Pang Hka village. During the attack a 70-year-old woman, named as Ma Kaw, was shot in the stomach. Before Ma…

Fighting broke out between the Burma Army and Karen fighters in Papun Township, northern Karen State on February 24, over claims that the government soldiers had violated a ceasefire agreement. The dispute began when the Burma Army transported food rations to its frontline bases. Karen National Liberation Army officers in its 5th Brigade told Karen News that the Burma Army…

A pick-up truck carrying a commander of the Border Guard Force and troops was attacked by an unknown armed group on the old Myawaddy-Kawkareik Road last week – no casualties were reported. The incident happened on the 2nd February, 2016 at about 4 pm when a pick-up truck ridden by the commander of the BGF battalion #1016 and his soldiers,…

A humanitarian aid organisation said that Burma Army offensives during October and November have displaced more than 10,000 civilians,. The Free Burma Rangers, delivers medical aid and monitors conflict areas inside Burma, recorded 92 new armed clashes in parts of Northern Shan and Western Kachin State over the last two months, including attacks by Government aircraft, heavy artillery, and armoured…

The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement signing ceremony on Oct 15 was Thein Sein’s big chance to add some much-needed credence to the national elections to be held next Sunday. But despite Thein Sein and Gen Mutu Sae Po’s optimism, not everyone is convinced the NCA will bring stability to the country. In fact, ethnic groups say fighting continues unabated, killing civilians…

Ethnic Shan human rights organisations have urged the Government to halt Burma Army attacks in Shan State, saying these attacks undermine hopes for a lasting peace agreement. The statement, which was signed by 18 organisations including the Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan Women’s Action Network, said that recent attacks had already displaced 1,500 civilians. The mass displacement of…