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THE NORTH WAR: A KACHIN CONFLICT COMPILATION REPORT

NOTE TO READERS

This is a resource compilationreport which is intended for

journalists, aid workers andother researchers who may beinterested in the in theJune/July 2011 conflictbetween the KachinIndependence Organization(KIO) and Burma's militaryregime in Kachin State, Burma.News stories and documentsrelated to the conflict arecategorized and reproduced orlinked here, with a list ofbackground informationsources. They are inchronological order within eachcategory.

Project Maje hopes that theongoing situation in northern

Burma, including resourceextraction and human rightsissues in addition to the KIOconflict, will be covered inincreasing depth and scope by

journalists and otherinvestigators in the future.

Project Maje is not responsiblefor any of the content of any articles or documents reproduced, linked or excerpted inthis resource report, and Project Maje DOES NOT endorse them or vouch for their

accuracy. These materials and links are intended for informational and educationalpurposes. Journalists and other researchers needing further information and adviceregarding northern Burma issues can contact Project Maje.

Project Maje is an independent information project on Burma's human rights andenvironmental issues, founded in 1986. The founder/director of Project Maje, EdithMirante, visited KIO-controlled areas of Kachin State in 1991, 1995 and 2002. Photos ofKIA troops (1991) and sketch map of Kachin State are by Edith Mirante.

Thanks to members of KF list for materials and to Bruce for this website.



INTRODUCTION

The State of Kachins

The Kachins are indigenous people of northern Burma, with related peoples in China,India and Thailand. The seven ethnic groups who are collectively known as "Kachin"are: Jinghpaw, Maru, Lisu, Lishi, Azi, Nung and Rawang. In Burma, the Jinghpawculture is the one that is most commonly identified as "Kachin." The Kachin peoplesspeak Tibeto-Burman languages. Most Kachins are Christian, with Animist beliefs andcustoms also significant.

Burma's Kachin State (population estimated at 1.3 million) is bordered by India(Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland) on the west, Tibet in the far north and China (YunnanProvince) to the east. It is about 88,000 sq. km./34,000 sq. mi. in area, comparable insize to the countries of Austria, Portugal, Jordan and South Korea and the state ofIndiana.

The Kachin State's terrain is hilly, becoming mountainous in the Himalayan foothills,with snow-covered peaks as high as 9294 ft./5881 m. (Hkakabo Razi.) The region wasknown for its thick forest cover, wildlife and untamed rivers. The main cities areMyitkyina, the state capital (population about 150,000) and Bhamo (population around50,000.) Myitkyina is located on the Irrawaddy River which flows south through Burma.The Kachin ethnic population extends into northwest Shan State. Shan, Chinese, Nagaand Burmese (Burman) people also live in Kachin State.

When World War II brought the superpowers of the time, Japan, Britain, the US, intoconflict in northern Burma -- strategic as a land route between British India andNationalist China -- the Kachins were valued fighters on the Allied (British/American)side. Kachin soldiers pursued the Japanese invaders with guerrilla tactics andsabotage, and taught the Allied troops jungle survival skills. Described by their foreignfriends as "amiable assassins" and "a Robin Hood version of the Boy Scouts" theKachins impressed them with their ruthlessness in battle and uncomplaining toughness.These "warrior" qualities, which persist, may seem contradictory with the Kachin culturewhich ordinarily values cooperation, consensus and gentleness in interpersonal

relations.

As Burma was gaining independence from Britain after the war, Kachin representativesattended the Panglong Conference in 1947, signing an agreement intended toguarantee ethnic autonomy in Burma, a covenant which was never really respected bythe Burmese (Burman) majority dominated government. Although some ethnic andCommunist groups rebelled against the government immediately after independence,the Kachins were slower to form their own army of resistance. Some Kachins aided theearly rebellion of the Karen ethnic group. Initially fighting the Communists on thegovernment's behalf, Kachin WWII hero Naw Seng joined them in 1950.



In 1961 the Kachin Independence Organization was formed (with its military called theKachin Independence Army.) While the idea of an independent Kachin nation hadappeal among the people, KIO leadership tended to favor autonomy within a federalsystem. Over the next three decades, the KIO participated in alliances of other ethnicgroups in armed rebellion against the military regime that seized power over Burma in1962.

KIA fighting abilities were formidable, and taking advantage of a remote location anddifficult (for outsiders) terrain, the KIO grew to control large sections of Kachin Statefrom the China border to the India border, with headquarters near the China border atPajau. In 1991 when the director of Project Maje traveled in KIO-controlled territory, theKIA was taking territory from the Burma regime's forces (the Tatmadaw), as describedin "Down the Rat Hole." The state's cities and towns were firmly in the Burma regime'scontrol, but a considerable non-urban area was governed by the KIO, with its ownsystems of trade, taxation, conscription and education.

The KIO relied heavily on the lucrative trade in precious jade (found mainly in theHpakant area of Kachin State) for its funding, along with small scale gold mining and --until the early 90s -- tax on opium traders. The KIA's arms and supplies were purchasedfrom Chinese illicit-market sources and friendly associations were often maintained withChinese officials from neighboring Yunnan Province.

Peace Dividends

In 1989 the leadership of

the powerful anti-regimeCommunist Party ofBurma, based in thenorthern Shan State wasdeposed by its Wa ethnicrank and file. It became theUnited Wa State Army(UWSA) which negotiateda ceasefire arrangementwith the Burma regime.Chairman Brang Seng of

the KIO then also enteredinto negotiations with theregime, signing a ceasefire agreement in 1994 with assurances of further talks thatwould lead to political concessions for the Kachins and recognition of national ethnicrights. The Kachin mood immediately following the ceasefire was wary but hopeful forautonomy and a "peace dividend" of local development, as described in "Down the RatHole."

Over the next decade and a half, political talks with the regime failed to happen and KIOareas of control in the Kachin State were severely diminished. The Hpakant jade mines



ended up in the regime's hands, depriving the KIO of its main source of income. Theregime made deals directly with Chinese companies for gold mining and timberextraction, sometimes including companies formed by the KIO elite for a share of theprofits. Massive environmental damage was caused by Chinese gold mining (pollution,erosion) and logging (clear cutting, loss of biodiverse wildlife habitat.)

In recent years, petroleum exploration and monoculture plantations with landconfiscation have further disrupted the Kachin State. China and Burma's regime alsobegan hydropower generation projects whiich would build dams on the Irrawaddy andTaping rivers in Kachin State. These projects were opposed by environmentalists andlocal people facing forced relocation. The Myitsone dam at the scenic confluence of theMali and N'mai rivers, which form the Irrawaddy River, is especially controversial as thesite has enormous cultural importance for Kachins.

During the 1994-2011 ceasefire period the KIO appeared politically neutralized, almostnever speaking out about human rights violations against civilians or its own personnel,or in support of national democratization. Urban Kachin students and environmentalistsfilled advocacy roles instead, using underground actions such as posters and flyers, andcollecting information that reached the outside world through press statements andreports.

The KIO elite was perceived asprofiting from the resourcesextracted for export to Chinaand not caring about the

environmental effects. The KIOappeared to be staking itshopes on full participation in anew national government tofollow the 2010 elections inBurma. This did not happenand politicians who had beenassociated with the KIO werebarred from running in the2010 elections.

Small Rockets

The ceasefire was strained bydisappointment over Burma'sconstitutional process, popularoutrage about environmentaldamage and land confiscation,and the sense among lowerranks that their core missionhad always been to fight the



Tatmadaw, but the issue that pushed it to the breaking point was the Border GuardForce demand. In 2009, the regime demanded that groups in ceasefire arrangements(including the KIO, UWSA and several others) must transform into Border Guard Forces(BGF) under the Tatmadaw's administration. When a small militia of the Chinese-ethnicKokang people in northwest Shan State refused the BGF designation, the Tatmadawinvaded and occupied their territory, in a brief August 2009 conflict that sent as many as30,000 refugees across the border to China.

During 2009-2010, the KIO adamantly refused to become a BGF, its decision backed bypublic meetings, and the KIA began to prepare for possible renewed war, withrecruitment and training. KIA troop strength as of 2010/2011 was estimated at between7,000 and 10,000. Most soldiers had no combat experience, having joined during theceasefire, but many officers were veterans of pre-ceasefire warfare. The KIA usuallybuys weapons illegally from Chinese sources, and has always suffered from shortagesof arms and ammunition, although a KIA commander spoke in late June 2011 of having"an abundance of small rockets" to deploy against the Tatmadaw.

A brief flare-up of hostility occurred in September 2010 when the KIA fired at a regime-associated helicopter intruding into their territory. In October 2010, with the KIO denieda chance to participate in the new parliament of Burma and still refusing to become aBGF, the regime's newspapers referred to the KIO as "insurgents." The KIO took this asan insult, rather than a point of pride. In their world view they were not a proud band ofrebels fighting a neocolonial foe, but a legitimate local government. They were not theIRA, they were Hong Kong.

In an rare public protest, the KIO in March 2011 sent a letter to China's President HuJintao calling for a halt to the China-backed Myitsone dam, warning that war couldbreak out over the locally-opposed project. The first ceasefire-breaking battle happenedon June 9, near other hydropower dam construction sites on the Taping River. This wasfollowed by a string of battles at locations stretching from Chipwi in the northeast toSinbo in the south of the state. The Tatmadaw used heavy artillery and the KIOemployed bridge destruction, ambushes and urban sabotage. Casualties appearedheavier on the Tatmadaw side during June/July.

Reportedly some northern Kachins (Rawangs) joined with the Tatmadaw against theKIO. The Rawangs, from the northernmost region of Burma, bordering Tibet, have

historically been less inclined towards rebellion against the governments/regimes ofBurma than have other Kachin ethnic groups.

KIO headquarters had long since shifted from Pajau to an actual town, Laiza (populationbetween 6,000 and 10,000) right on the China border. Laiza was considered vulnerableto attack by the regime's Air Force. As of the end of July, air raids had not happened,but the Tatmadaw was directing heavy artillery against KIO headquarters.

An estimated 16,000 refugees and internally displaced people fled their homes inKachin State in June/July because of the fighting. They suffered from illnesses and lack



of food aid. Nongovernmental organizations reported that rape was being used as aTatmadaw tactic against civilian women and girls (as has been typical throughoutBurma's war zones) and reports emerged of other Tatmadaw human rights violationsincluding forced relocation, torture and execution of prisoners of war.

Issues of Trust

The Kachin State conflictgained the attention of theoutside world, described asa "threat of civil warbreaking out in Burma"(although civil war hasbeen ongoing without abreak in Burma since 1949,particularly in the Karenand Shan regions in theeast.) The US governmentmade statements ofconcern about the conflict,the UK government metwith Kachin representativesand the UN called for "all stakeholders to make every effort to avoid raising tensions."

Demonstrations calling attention to the conflict were held by Kachin exiles and

supporters in India, the US and other countries. China's government was initially silentabout the potentially significant impacts of open warfare on its border, then in mid-Junecalled for restraint on both sides. China did not step in to negotiate, but did allow somerefugee aid and did not permit the Tatmadaw to attack the KIA from the China side ofthe border, as of late July.

Burma's regime portrayed the conflict as their effort to protect Chinese interests (theTaping dam projects) from the KIO. This may also relate to a show of security for amassive pipeline project in early stages of construction, intended to bring petroleumfrom the Bay of Bengal through Burma to China, entering Yunnan Province in thenorthern Shan State. At the same time as the Kachin battles were taking place, the

Tatmadaw was engaged in an offensive against the Shan State Army - North, whichhad also been a ceasefire group. Despite the KIO's membership in the UnitedNationalities Federal Council, an ethnic mutual-protection alliance, there was no sign ofcoordinated military efforts among the anti-regime forces.

Negotiations, brokered to some extent by members of Kachin State's urban civil society,began on June 30. The Tatmadaw's initial offer of a ceasefire was not immediatelyaccepted by the KIO. A public meeting called by the KIO in Laiza appeared to showpopular opposition within KIO territory to a new ceasefire. Issues of trust often seem tocreate a fissure or disconnect between the people of the KIO territory and the KIO



leadership -- the KIO elite has been long accustomed to taking the regime at face valueand treating its representatives with respect (exemplified by giving visiting Tatmadawnegotiators gifts of imported whiskey at a time when the KIA's own officer, Lance-Corporal Chang Yein, captured by the Tatmadaw, had been tortured and killed.) "Youngturk" officers in the KIA have not been so trusting, but neither they nor town meetingsmake the decisions.

There has always been an imbalance in negotiations between the KIO, which is verywilling to compromise, and the regime, which relentlessly plays a zero sum game. Thistime a ceasefire might possibly bring the KIO some major concession -- perhapsabandonment of the BGF demand or even cancellation of the Myitsone dam -- butbased on historical evidence, the regime is highly unlikely to follow through on anypromises it makes to the KIO. Complicating matters, reports have emerged that thereare differences of opinion among the regime's generals (and ex-generals) as to whetherto deal with recalcitrant ceasefire groups through negotiation or by crushing themmilitarily.

The KIO wants a nationwide negotiated peace settlement with all of the ethnic groups(Shan, Karen, etc.) but this proposal has so far (as of the end of July) been rejected bythe regime, as in the 1990s, in favor of a separate peace for the KIO. On July 27,Burma's opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a staunch nonviolence advocate,called for a national ceasefire and dialogue between the regime and all groups currentlyin armed combat against it.

Sideshow or Spark

The conflict in Burma's north, while sudden and fierce, might be viewed as a meresideshow to the larger national tensions between the long-dominant Burma military(some now governing in civilian clothes) and the long-thwarted political opposition ledby Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the explosion of ethnic conflict in a previouslypacified area is particularly significant because of resource extraction issues. Theregime's lucrative deals with China in hydropower, mining, timber and petroleum allrequire the secure control of the north. As the Burma regime's paramount ally, armssupplier and apologist, the Chinese government could only be embarrassed anddismayed by the spectacle of Burma's 500,000-plus army being resisted by anindigenous force of 10,000 or less, as though Tolkien's Hobbits were holding their own

against an Orc horde. The Burma regime's assurances of legitimacy and controlbecame less convincing.

Additionally, cross border problems affect China's response to the conflict: an influx ofrefugees, the danger to Chinese workers in Kachin State (some dam site engineerswere reportedly briefly held hostage by the Tatmadaw at the onset of the crisis) and thedanger of shells or bombs landing on Chinese soil. The KIO elite has long had personaland business ties with some influential people in Yunnan and the value of a buffer zonelike KIO territory is not to be underestimated, even between such dear friends as Burmaand China.



The war in the north, should it turn out to be a brief flare-up or a prolonged "quagmire"(as The Irrawaddy phrased it) spotlights policy quandaries within Burma's regime:whether to palaver with ethnic nationalities or blitzkrieg them, whether to be completelydependent on China or not. This war also reveals friction within Kachin society betweenthe ambitions of the KIO elite and the people's needs. The people of Kachin State haveendured decades of political powerlessness. A few brave Kachin farmers still struggle tochallenge land confiscation through Burma's weak court system. But power remains inthe hands of men with guns.

The Kachins have always been what the British colonists called "a fighting race." Areawakened KIA may well have the guerrilla ability to make it impossible for theTatmadaw to grab total control of Kachin State. But the KIO elite has shown during the1994-2011 ceasefire that it can "lose the peace" by being outmaneuvered forKachinland's real riches, the forests and rivers, while forfeiting the safety of the people.It will require enormous political skill and willpower for this not very big ethnic group in arather large territory to keep from being marginalized and exploited again.

LINKS

ONGOING NEWS SOURCES:

News items from Kachin News Group are not included in this report because ProjectMaje recommends reading through the specialized and detailed KNG stories in theirentirety at: www.kachinnews.com The Irrawaddy: www.irrawaddy.org Mizzima: www.mizzima.com Democratic Voice of Burma: www.dvb.no Shan Herald Agency for News: www.shanland.org

HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION:

Kachin Women's Association Thailandwww.kachinwomen.org

RELIEF NETWORK:

Relief Action Network for IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and Refugees.[RANIR, group formed in July 2011 inside KIO area]tel. +86 189 8823 [email protected] www.kachinrelief.org(under construction)

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS:



Burma Rivers NetworkResisting the Flood: Communities Taking a Stand Against the Imminent Construction ofIrrawaddy Dams. 2009www.burmariversnetwork.org/resources/publications/13-publications/295--resisting-the-flood.html www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0MDkBkUhbc

The Kachin Development Networking GroupTyrants, Tycoons and Tigers: Yuzana Company Ravages Burma's Hugawng Valley.2010www.burmapartnership.org/2010/08/tyrants-tycoons-and-tigers/ Valley of Darkness: Gold mining and militarization in Burma's Hugawng valley. 2007.www.burmacampaign.org.uk/reports/ValleyofDarkness.pdf

Global WitnessA Disharmonious Trade: China and the Continued Destruction of Burma's NorthernFrontier Forests. 2009www.globalwitness.org/library/disharmonious-trade-china-and-continued-destruction-burmas-northern-frontier-forests A Choice for China: Ending the Destruction of Burma's Frontier Forests. 2005.www.globalwitness.org/library/choice-china-ending-destruction-burmas-frontier-forests A Conflict Of Interest -- The Uncertain Future of Burma's Forests. 2003www.globalwitness.org/library/conflict-interest-english

Images Asia and Pan Kachin Development Society

At What Price. Gold Mining in Kachin State, Burma. 2004.www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/gold%20pdf1.pdf

Roger MoodyGrave Diggers: A Report on Mining in Burma. 1999.www.miningwatch.ca/sites/miningwatch.ca/files/Grave_Diggers.pdf

BACKGROUND READING:

Leach, Edmund Ronald. 1954. Political Systems of Highland Burma: A Study of Kachin Social Structure. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Lintner, Bertil. 1990. Land of Jade: A Journey from India through Northern Burma to China. Bangkok: White Orchid Press.Mirante, Edith. 2005. Down the Rat Hole: Adventures Underground on Burma's Frontiers. Bangkok: Orchid PressSmith, Martin. 1993. Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London: Zed.Tucker, Shelby. 2000. Among Insurgents: Walking through Burma. London: Flamingo.

NEWS CATEGORIES



1. Timeline2. Background and Analysis3. Dams4. China5. Battle Reports6. The KIO Speaks7. Human Rights8. Refugees9. Negotiating

1. TIMELINE

Chronology of the Kachin Conflict The Irrawaddy , June 17, 2011Ba Kaung

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been at various points of engagement withthe Burmese army since 1961 when the Kachins first demanded independence. Later, itcalled for Kachin autonomy within a federal system -- another aspiration which wasnever fulfilled. In 1994, it reached a ceasefire agreement with the ruling military leaders,this time with a call for no more than development in their region.

Since then, the mountainous terrain of Kachin State has seen much development -- thedevelopment of Chinese mega-project investments which have been introduced with thebacking of the Naypyidaw government. These projects, which right groups say will

extract an enormous social and environmental price from the region, have generatedmuch animosity in KIA circles and among the Kachin public. KIA officials said they werenever consulted about these projects, but have instead experienced Burmese militaryencroachment into their area.

After the KIA rejected last year the government's order to transform into a border guardforce under the central command of the Burmese army, a tension began building.Nerves finally snapped on June 9 when fierce and bloody fighting broke out betweenthe KIA and Burmese government forces.Unlike previous conflicts with Burmese troops, KIA officials have now got to consider theChina factor. The latest military offensive has an objective of creating a safeguard for

China's dam projects in their region. But they have also called on Beijing to mediate inthe conflict. In addition, the KIA continues to call for a genuine federal union.

February 1947 -- Kachin leaders signed the Panglong Agreement with the Burmesegovernment, which laid the foundation for the creation of a fully autonomous KachinState.February 1949 -- Naw Seng, a Kachin military officer in the Burmese army, defected tothe Karen rebels along with his battalion. He then led the first Kachin rebel army in thefight for Kachin independence.February 1961 -- Parliament under then Burmese Prime Minister U Nu declared



Buddhism as the state religion, infuriating the mostly Christian Kachin population.February 1961 -- A group of educated young Kachin men founded the KachinIndependence Army (KIA), and pledged to fight for a free Kachin republic. Intensefighting with the Burmese army ensued.August 1963 -- Burmese Gen Ne Win, who came to power after staging a military coup,held peace talks with ethnic armed forces, including the Kachin. However, negotiationsbroke down after the ethnic representatives rejected Ne Win's demands, which includeda condition that their armed forces must be concentrated in designated zones and theiractivities must be disclosed to his regime.October 1980 -- Brang Seng, the chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization(KIO), the KIA's political wing, went to Rangoon and met with Ne Win for peace talks.He asked the Burmese government for Kachin State autonomy with self determination.December 1980 -- The Burmese government rejected the KIO's demand for theinclusion of autonomous rights in the Constitution, saying the demands had not beenaccepted "by a vote of the people." Peace efforts broke down and fighting resumed.July 1993 -- KIO delegates negotiated with Burmese military leaders over a ceasefire inKIA-controlled areas in Kachin State and Shan State. The KIO's major demand wasregional development.February 1994 -- The KIO signed a ceasefire agreement with the ruling military regimeof the State Law and Order Restoration Council.September 2010 -- The KIO formally rejected the Burmese government's plan to acceptthe Border Guard Force (BGF) plan which would subjugate the KIA under Burmesemilitary command. The KIO called for the emergence of a genuine federal state.Naypyidaw subsequently forced the closure of KIA liaison offices in Kachin State.September 2010 -- Burma's Election Commission rejected the registration of three

Kachin political parties from running in the country's first national elections in 20 years,saying the party leaders were linked with the KIA.May 2011 -- The KIO sent a letter to the Chinese government to withdraw its investmentfrom a massive hydropower dam project in Kachin State, warning that local resentmentagainst this project could spark a civil war.June 9, 2011 -- Deadly fighting between the KIA and the Burmese army broke out neara hydropower dam project, bringing this strategic region neighboring China to the vergeof a civil war.

2. BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS

Kachin Reject Border Guard Force Second Time The Irrawaddy , July 16, 2009

One of biggest ethnic ceasefire groups, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)again rejected the military junta's border guard force plan and called for autonomy inKachin State, according to a KIO report.



The meeting between the KIO and Burmese military officials led by Maj-Gen Soe Win,the commander of the Northern Regional Command and head of the transformationcommittee of the border guard force for the Northern Regional Command, took place inMyitkyina, the capital of Kachin State and the headquarters of the regional command,on July 8.

Representatives of the KIO told the Burmese that the KIO wanted to keep its militarywing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), under its current status and rejected havingBurmese military commanders in its ethnic armed forces.

It is estimated that the KIA now has 4,000 to 5,000 men forming five brigades and oneinfantry division. KIA troops are stationed in both Kachin State and northern Shan State.The KIO said that it wanted KIA troops to form a Kachin Regional Guard Force but not aborder guard force in the future.

Apart from the border guard force issue, the KIO also called for autonomous power forthe KIO in Kachin State by demanding "direct involvement" in the state's executive,legislative and judicial powers after the 2010 election.The KIO also rejected a junta proposal for the organization to become a political partyfor the 2010 elections.

The KIO said it is has been the sole Kachin people's organization representing theKachin for five decades, and it would difficult and confusing for Kachin people if the KIOwere suddenly transformed into a political party for the election.

The KIO signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military in 1994.The July 8 meeting was the second attempt by the Burmese military to persuade theKIO to accept the border guard force plan.

At the end of April, Burmese army officials met with leaders of ethnic ceasefire groups,including the KIO, and explained the junta's blueprint for transforming the armed forcesof ethnic ceasefire groups into border guard forces ahead of the 2010 elections. TheKIO and other ceasefire groups voiced their disagreement with the plan at that time.

In June, Lt-Gen Ye Myint, who is secretary of the junta's Border Guard ForceTransformation Committee, visited controlled areas of the United Wa State Army

(UWSA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) or the KokangArmy, and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) to convince them of theborder guard force plan.

The northern Shan Sate based UWSA, which is the biggest ceasefire group in Burma,the MNDAA and the NDAA rejected the plan a second time. Analysts say the plan is toincorporate armed ethnic ceasefire troops into the Tatmadaw (Burma's armed forces)with the aim of weakening ethnic armed groups in the future.



Under the plan, one border guard battalion would have 326 troops including 18 officers.There would be three commanders with the rank of major. Each battalion would havetwo majors drawn from ceasefire groups and one major drawn from the Tatmadaw incharge of administration.

Each battalion would have a general staff officer and quartermaster with the rank ofcaptain drawn from the Tatmadaw. Company commanders in each battalion would bedrawn from ceasefire groups. Twenty-seven soldiers in other ranks, such as companysergeant majors, sergeant clerks, nurses, etc., would be drawn from Tatmadaw forces.

The deadline for the ceasefire groups to accept the plan was on June 30.

Northern tensions rise as Kachin troops fire at junta helicopter Mizzima , September 23, 2010

Kachin troops fired shots today at a Burmese Army helicopter flying low over one oftheir strongholds in the north of Kachin State, amid building tensions between the ethnicgroup and the military junta, an officer said.

The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) troops were showing the army that theyrefused to be intimidated, whether the flight was sent to watch or cajole them, an officerof the group's armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), told Mizzima oncondition of anonymity.

"The KIO encampment is in the hills [surrounding Laiza], so, viewed from there, theheight of the helicopter seemed a little low as it flew from the south of Laiza to [KachinState capital] Myitkyina," the officer said. "So KIO troops tried to shoot it down in orderto browbeat them [the junta's airborne troops]."

The incident occurred as the junta army's Northern Command is raising the ante againstthe KIO, which on September 1 passed the junta's deadline for bringing its armed wingunder Burmese Army control within its Border Guard Force (BGF), which the KIO hasflatly rejected. The ethnic Kachin group signed a ceasefire deal with the junta in 1994.

"I think the helicopter aimed to observe us, or the flight was intended to frighten us. But,local residents were not afraid. They are carrying on as usual," the officer said. Thecase was still being investigated by the KIO, local residents said.

Mizzima reported on Monday that the KIO had ordered gold mines in areas under itscontrol in the north of the state to halt production, miners said.

The KIO was also moving all its furniture, equipment and documents from its Laizaoffice to its previous headquarters at Lai Zin Bum ("bum" means mountain in Kachin



language), near the Sino-Burmese border. Similarly, local people had movedbelongings across the border to China, the miner said.

Early last month, the junta imposed travel restrictions on KIO members, requiring themto report their travel plans first to Military Affairs Security (MAS) and to move only withpermission of the Northern Command. The new rules also banned KIO or KIA fromwearing uniform or carrying any arms while they travelled.

After that, rice trading had slowed on the Myitkyina-Bamao highway and prices of arange of commodities were rising, a trader in Laiza said.

The junta army was also practising direct saber-rattling, with troops erecting a barbed-wire barricade at their Lajayan checkpoint near Laiza, manned by Infantry Battalion (IB)142. No one may pass through between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., a source said.

Meanwhile, the Union Election Commission (UEC) issued a notice last Thursday thatsaid village tracts under KIO control were not in a position to host free and fair elections,set by the junta for November 7.

Other exile media were reporting today rapid and sizeable troop build-ups near KIAoutposts in the state, and that residents were being forced to build fences andaccommodation for the extra soldiers.

Junta Calls KIA "Insurgents" The Irrawaddy , October 15, 2010Wai Moe

The Burmese junta decribed the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a cease-fire groupwhich operates on the Sino-Burmese border, as "insurgents" in state-run-newspaperson Friday, ceasing to call them a cease-fire group which they have done since signing acease-fire agreement with the KIA in 1994.

The state-run newspapers described the KIA as "insurgents" in a report blaming the KIAfor a mine blast which killed two and injured one in Kachin State on Wednesday.

The report came amid Naypyidaw's flaring tensions with the cease-fire ethnic groupsincluding the KIA over the Border Guard Force (BGF) plan, which ordered the groups totransform their independent militia's into a Burmese army-controlled BGF.

Five villagers from Mogaung Township, Kachin State "stepped on a mine planted by KIAinsurgents" in "Kachin Special Region-2", the state-run-newspaper The New Light ofMyanmar said.



Responding to Naypyidaw's usage of "insurgents," Wawhkyung Sinwa, a spokesman forthe Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of the KIA, told TheIrrawaddy on Friday that it is incorrect to describe a cease-fire group as insurgents whilethe cease-fire remains in operation.

He added that although the ceasefire has not yet broken down into armed conflict,tension between the regime and the KIA is high. "The situation is more or less normalfor us," he said, referring to the high state of tension.

Observers in Rangoon who read the newspapers were surprised by the junta's tonetoward the KIA. "After reading the report, I was shocked because insurgent is a term theregime has only used for non-ceasefire groups such as the Karen National Union in thelast 20 years," said an editor of a private Rangoon weekly speaking on condition ofanonymity. "It also signals a potential new civil war in the country's border areas."

Military sources in Rangoon said they learned some light infantry battalions normallystationed around Rangoon were ordered to deploy in Kachin State this week. The juntaalso recently purchased 50 Mi-24 military helicopters from Russia for counterinsurgency operations, said observers.

In late September, KIA soldiers shot at a Burmese military helicopter that flew over theKIO headquarters at Laiza, which was considered unusual since the cease-fireagreement normally deterred such acts on both sides.

After a major military reshuffle in junta forces in late August, the two main juntacommanders dealing with the KIA, Lt-Gen Tha Aye, chief of Bureau of SpecialOperation (BSO)-1 and Maj-Gen Soe Win, commander of the Northern Regional MilitaryCommand were replaced by Maj-Gen Myint Soe of the Northwest Regional MilitaryCommand and Brig-Gen Zayar Aung, commandant of the Defense Services Academy.

The new replacement commanders have yet to hold any meetings with the KIO sincetaking up their appointments, said KIA sources in Laiza.

"New commanders usually come to introduce themselves and create cordial relations,but we haven't seen either Maj-Gen Myint Soe or Brig-Gen Zayar Aung," a KIO officialsaid.

When the junta, then called the State Law and Order Restoration Council, and the KIOofficially announced the cease-fire agreement, the agreement was based on threetopics -- peace under a cease-fire in Kachin State and related areas in northern ShanState, economic development in the area and a commitment to work for peace acrossUnion of Burma.

The KIA and its allies on the Sino-Burmese border such as the United Wa State Armyand the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA -- also known as the Mongla group)



rejected the junta's BGF plan under the 2008 constitution saying it could not guaranteeethnic rights.

Meanwhile, the junta has suspended the November elections in the group's areas dueto ongoing tension in the area and the prospect of being unable to win, according toobservers.

The BGF tension on the Sino-Burmese border became a regional stability issue whenan estimated 37,000 Kokang-Chinese refugees fled from Burma to China after the juntalaunched a surprise offensive against the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army(MNDAA) in Kokang in August 2009. Since then, Beijing has been worried aboutpotential conflict in neighboring border areas in the post-election period.

"For a risk-averse Beijing, it all makes for a volatile mix in an election year. At a timewhen China is pushing border stability in Myanmar [Burma], elections lackingparticipation from major border ethnic groups -- the Wa, Kachin and others -- may setthe stage for potential conflict," said Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, the International CrisisGroup's North East Asia Project Director in Beijing in a recent article.

War looms for Kachin as junta ceasefire crumbles Mizzima , December 7, 2010Thomas Maung Shwe

Sixteen years after Burma's military regime reached a ceasefire deal with the country'ssecond largest rebel group, the Kachin Independence Organisation, the KIO and the10,000 soldiers it says belong to its armed wing are preparing for war.

Just outside of the KIO's rebel capital of Laiza in the far north of Kachin State recently,Mizzima met a group of recruits finishing their weapon's training. A 25-year-old nursingstudent in full battle dress was one of the many female sharpshooters at the KachinIndependence Army (KIA) firing range. With machine gun in hand she explained whyshe had recently enlisted: "We female soldiers must join our male counterparts infighting because peace can't be obtained by men alone." There are about 800 women inthe KIA, she said.

Tensions between the KIO and the Burmese Army have increased significantly sincemid-October when the regime's official newspaper the New Light of Myanmar used theterm "insurgent" to describe the KIO. Normally the regime only uses insurgent todescribe rebel groups such as the Karen National Union that have refused to sign anofficial ceasefire agreement. This was the first time since the ceasefire began in 1994the KIO had been so labelled by the Burmese regime.

Following the declaration that the KIO were insurgents, Than Shwe's regime sought topressure them by severely restricting the movement of goods passing along the KIO's



lucrative toll roads, which for the past 16 years have been a vital trade link betweenBurma and China, and an important source of income for the KIO. The regime alsoordered the closure of most of the group's liaison offices throughout the rest of the stateand parts of neighbouring Shan State, in territory the regime controls or areas in whichthe KIO has only partial authority. The offices were established to ensure the truce wentsmoothly and to maintain lines of communication.

The ceasefire, which benefitted both the KIO and the Burmese regime economically,appears to be on its deathbed and many observers believe it is only a matter of timebefore war breaks out between the KIO and the Burmese armed forces.

When Mizzima interviewed senior members of the KIO in Laiza recently, they laid blamefor the souring of relations squarely with the Burmese regime and Naypyidaw'sinsistence that the KIA come under the Burmese military's control as part of a BorderGuard Force (BGF).

On the issue of joining the BGF, Lana Gumhpan, a senior figure in the de factogovernment that administers KIO territory, told Mizzima: "We KIO considered the issuedeeply and after consultation with our general public and É at our central committee; wecame to the conclusion that the transformation of our military wing alone would notguarantee a lasting peace."

Laiza, on the edge of the Sino-Burmese border, was only a small village when theceasefire began. It is now a bustling city, home to more than 20,000 people. At firstglance, the KIO's capital looks like any other Burmese border town, with transport

trucks, several hotels and schools, a thriving market with gem stores, four churches andeven a golf course. Until very recently, business had been so good in Laiza there wasshortage of housing and many migrant workers found it cheaper to live in China thanrent in Laiza.

Recent developments have put the rebel stronghold's civilian residents on edge. Manyof the people Mizzima spoke to expressed the feeling that conflict with the Burmesemilitary was inevitable.

Five decades of rebellion

The KIO and its KIA armed wing were established in the Kachin-inhabited area of ShanState in February 1961 in response to Kachin grievances with Burma's centralgovernment then led by the mercurial Prime Minister U Nu. Overwhelmingly Christian,many Kachin were infuriated by U Nu's declaration during the April 1960 election that ifelected, he would make Buddhism the state religion, a promise he fulfilled in August1961.

The Kachin were also angered that the Burmese government had never implemented apre-independence agreement brokered by General Aung San, father of the recentlyreleased pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with representatives of Kachin,



Shan and Chin ethnic groups that outlined the autonomy of those living in Burma'sethnic "frontier areas".

The February 1947 Panglong Agreement was an important precursor for Aung San'sgoal of Burma's full independence from Britain. Clause 5 of the deal gave the ethnicgroups represented the right to local self-government and declared that Burma's centralgovernment "will not operate in respect of the Frontier Areas in any manner which woulddeprive any portion of these areas of the autonomy which it now enjoys in internaladministration. Full autonomy in internal administration for the Frontier Areas isaccepted in principle".

U Nu, who took over the reins of Aung San's Anti-Fascist People's Freedom Leagueparty following the latter's assassination in July 1947, did little to actually implement thePanglong compact after Burma received independence in January 1948. His failure tolive up to the promise of Panglong left the Kachin and other ethnic minorities in Burmafeeling betrayed.

While talking to Mizzima, Lana Gumhpan pulled out a dusty copy of the PanglongAgreement and pointed to Clause 5, which he and many others believed if actuallyfollowed would have prevented many years of civil war in Burma. "Despite the PanglongAgreement to establish a Union state, it never turned out as we had expected andagreed upon. We the Kachin and other hill tribes were deprived of political and humanrights. So eventually we took up weapons and engaged in revolutionary movements."

Kachin opposition to controversial dam project ignored

Lana Gumhpan said the Burmese junta's massive Irrawaddy Myitsone hydroelectricdam project under way at the confluence of the Mali Hka and Nmai Hka rivers in thenorth of the state was just the latest example of the Burmese central governmentignoring the views of Burma's ethnic minorities. He said the ruling Burmese military

junta had ignored both local residents' strong opposition to the projects and the KIO'sconcerns about major environmental damage. Thousands of people will be forced tomove and almost all of the energy generated by the project will be sold to China, leavinglittle if any local benefit.

Kachin electoral aspirations blocked

In July, the Burmese regime's national election commission refused to allow a politicalparty led by former KIO vice-president Dr. Manam Tuja to register for last month'snational elections.

Tuja and several other senior party members had resigned from the KIO last year topursue "urban politics". Despite the fact he had represented the KIO during the regime'snational convention that drafted Burma's much-criticised 2008 constitution, Tuja andcolleagues were prevented from registering their Kachin State Progressive Party or



registering as independent candidates ostensibly because of their former associationwith the KIO.

Kachin officials and Burma watchers have said the regime's blocking of Tuja was indirect response to the KIO refusal to adopt the Burmese junta's BGF proposal.

Formerly a vocal supporter of the regime's national election programme, Tuja wasextremely disappointed at his disqualification. In an interview with Burmese media inexile shortly after the election he warned: "Tension is high between the KIA and thegovernment," and added, "These issues have been resolved through military methodsfor decades. More bloodshed will occur since there is little chance of a peaceful solutionto these issues" Ð an ominous prediction that increasingly looks like it will become areality.

War or Dialogue? Burma has to choose Asian Correspondent , June 9, 2011Zin Linn

Fighting broke out for nearly three hours today morning between Kachin and Burmesetroops in Bhamo District in Kachin State, northern Burma, quoting Kachin officersKachin News Group [KNG] said.

The skirmishing was between the Burmese Army's Momauk-based Light InfantryBattalion (LIB) No. 437 and the Kachin Independence Army's (KIA) Battalion No. 15,under Brigade 3. It occurred at the KIA-controlled Sang Gang Village in MomaukTownship in Bhamo District, according to KIA officials at the Laiza headquarters, ineastern Kachin State.

The fighting took place close to the Taping River on the road heading to the Taping No.1 and Taping No. 2 hydropower plants, from Myitkyina-Bhamo Highway. The twohydropower plants were constructed by the China Datang Corporation (CDT).

This morning conflict intensified since more than 200 Burmese soldiers invaded theKIA's territory and shooting at the KIA post near Prang Kadung Village, a KIA official in

Laiza said. At least three Burmese soldiers were killed and six injured in the saidfighting. However, only two KIA were injured, a KIA officer in the frontline said.

Yesterday (8 June), the KIA's Battalion 15 arrested three Burmese soldiers, includingtwo officers, from LIB No. 437. They were carrying two machine guns and two pistols,said KIA officers.

A Burmese soldier with his weapon was arrested in the morning when he and hiscomrade entered the KIA controlled area. But, his companion escaped throwing awayhis gun behind. Another two officers holding two machine guns were arrested in the



evening when they entered the KIA's area to release the captive soldier, added KIAofficers.

The KIA officers in Laiza said all three were arrested for security reasons andnegotiations regarding the captive Burmese soldiers are still taking place.

In March, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) warned the Burmese Army to bring to ahalt any movement in the KIA controlled areas in Northern Shan State, said KachinNews Group (KNG) referring local military sources close to the KIA. The warning cameout after a latest offensive against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) was kicked offby Burmese army.

The notice was released by the central military command of the KIA (Dai Lawn Rung),based in Laiza, in Kachin State. According to KIA officials in Northern Shan State, ifBurmese troops enter the KIA areas, they will face armed clashes.

The KIA is the second strongest armed ethnic group in military-ruled Burma. It has fivebrigades. Four of them are based in Kachin State. There are about 30 battalions, withover 30,000 fighters- including regular and reserved forces, said KIA.

Tensions between the Burma armed forces and ceasefire groups, the UWSA, KachinIndependence Army (KIA), SSA ÔNorth' and the NDAA have mounted after the junta'slatest deadline for the groups to remove weapons expired on 1 September last year. Allsides have been reinforcing their troops after none of them accepted the junta's deal.

Small armed conflicts between the Burmese army and KIA steadily increased in theKIA's Brigade 3 area in eastern Kachin State and Brigade 2 area in Western KachinState.

All KIA armed forces in Kachin State and Northern Shan State have been on the alert toprevent government troops' invasion into KIA territories.

On the other hand, Burma's 12 ethnic groups have made a historical accord in aconference at an undisclosed venue along the Thai-Burma border in mid-February.They reached an agreement unanimously forming an umbrella alliance called the UnitedNationalities Federal Council (UNFC).

The UNFC also welcomes oppositions like the United Wa State Army (UWSA) andShan State Army (SSA) ÔSouth' that are still playing the waiting game position tobecome associate partners.

According to local sources, the junta also began dispatching fresh troops and munitionsin Kachin as early as last November.

Some analysts believe armed conflicts possibly will widen since more ethnic armedgroups refuse to accept the junta's new constitution which says Burma Army is the only



military institution in the country. The ethnic groups also believe the incoming shamcivilian government which loyal to new constitution will not let their basic rights or self-determination which they have been asking since 1947.

Thus, several ethnic armed groups including the KIA have already decided to defendtheir basic rights by holding their guns. If the new President Thein Sein governmentfailed to solve out this delicate political question by means of political dialogue, a newall-out civil war may not be avoided.

KIA on High Alert after Overnight Fighting The Irrawaddy , June 10, 2011By Saw Yan Naing

Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops stationed in eastern Kachin State's MomaukTownship are on high alert following several hours of fighting with Burmese governmenttroops on Thursday, as sources report that both sides appear to be bracing for furtherhostilities.

The fighting broke out early Thursday morning before dawn and continued until noon,according to sources in the area. The fighting involved Battalion 15 of the KIA's Brigade3 and Burmese Battalion 437.

More government troops have been deployed as reinforcements along a routeconnecting Bhamo and the state capital of Myitkyina, as well as in Momauk and areasnear the KIA headquarters of Laiza since late last night, according to Laiza residentSeng Aung, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Friday.

A resident of Maijaya, a village in Bhamo District, where Momauk Township is alsolocated, said: "Almost all the Kachin men in the village have gone to the area where thefighting broke out yesterday. Now there are mostly only women, children and few menremaining in the village." The male residents were likely summoned by the KIA asreinforcements, as they serve as members of a paramilitary militia under KIA command,said the resident."If government troops continue to cross KIA-controlled areas, majors fighting is

expected. If they withdraw their troops, the situation will return to normal," said SengAung.

Lapai Naw Din, the editor of the Thailand-based Kachin News Group, said that theclashes on Thursday were serious because tension has been mounting between theKIA and the government over the KIA's refusal to become a border guard force underBurmese army control.

Some 500 troops were involved in the fighting -- which included mortar shelling -- onThursday. At least three government soldiers were killed and six injured, while two KIA



soldiers were wounded, said Lapai Naw Din. The KIA, which has an estimated 10,000troops, signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in 1994. However, theceasefire informally broke down following skirmishes between the two sides late lastyear.

On Feb. 7, an armed clash between government troops and the KIA occurred justsoutheast of Bhamo, another area that is under the control of KIA Brigade 3. On Oct. 18of last year, an office of the KIA's political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization,was raided by government troops who arrested two KIO officials. A few days later,government newspapers referred to the KIA as "insurgents" for the first time in morethan a decade and a half.

KIA 'Loses Patience' with Burmese Govt The Irrawaddy , June 13, 2011Saw Yan Naing

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) said it has lost all patience with the Burmesegovernment and is ready to resist any troop incursions into its territory.

Months of tension between the KIA and government troops finally snapped at theweekend when armed clashes broke out in Momauk Township in Kachin State, causingsome 500 residents to flee their homes to the Chinese border.

"The fighting is ongoing on and is set to spread," said KIA spokesman La Na. "We havefinally lost patience [with the Burmese army]. It's now a 'zero tolerance' policy."

The KIA signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in 1994. But tensionmounted last year after the KIA refused to transform its battalions into a state militiaunder Burmese army command.

Clashes erupted on Thursday after negotiations broke down over a hostage situation.Fighting escalated further after government troops returned the dead body of thehostage, a captured KIA soldier, to the Kachin army.Government forces have reinforced their positions in Momauk, bringing in several

additional battalions. Sources said the government is preparing for a major militaryoperation.

KIA sources claimed about 60 government soldiers were injured in clashes over theweekend, and were hospitalized in Bhamo.

Seng Aung, a resident in Laiza, the headquarters of the KIA, said he believed thefighting would escalate and that Chinese construction workers and engineers at Tapaidam near the Sino-Burmese border have returned home to escape the hostilities. He



said that prisoners from Bhamo were sent to Momauk to serve as porters forgovernment troops.

Government forces took over a KIA liaison office in Myitkyina, the capital of KachinState, on Saturday night.

Lapai Naw Din, the editor of the Thailand-based Kachin News Group, said thatgovernment authorities warned local residents in Momauk not to go out at nighttime.

Some residents have moved to safer towns while others have gone to stay with theirrelatives in China, said Lapai Naw Din. Many Momauk residents fled after governmenttroops began forcefully recruiting locals to serve as porters, carrying munitions andsupplies toward the theaters of battle.During last week's clashes, at least three government soldiers were killed, including acaptain, and six were injured, while two KIA soldiers were wounded, according toKachin sources. No further details of casualties have been released since.

Meanwhile, skirmishes have broken out over the past three days between the ShanState Army and Burmese government forces in northern Shan State, according to localsources and military observers. A local resident from Seinkyawt, northern Shan State,told The Irrawaddy on Monday that a combined force of some 300 Burmese troopsattacked an SSA base early that morning and that the fighting continued until 10 am.

Sein Kyi, an editor for the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News, said that theBurmese government forces had successfully captured an SSA military outpost.

Kachin armed group gives ultimatum to government to stop offensives Mizzima , June 13, 2011Phanida

All Burmese military offensives against Kachin armed groups must stop no later thanmidnight Monday, according to an ultimatum issued by the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO).

Fighting between government troops and the KIO has continued for two days with bothsides sustaining casualties.

Fighting is also likely to break out in Northern Shan State, said the KIO, which promptedthe KIO to issue its ultimatum, which it said was designed to prevent widespread civilwar in Burma.

La Nang, a KIO central committee member, said, 'Fighting is likely to take place acrossthe country. But there's no sign that they will stop the offensives.



'We've ordered our battalions to resist the government attacks. Their offensives arebeyond the limit of our patience. During the past two days, we did not sendreinforcement to Battalion 15 because we don't want the fighting to spread. Weremained patient', La Nang told Mizzima.

Sources in Naypyitaw said that the offensives were ordered following a meeting inNaypyitaw, the capitol. So far, the government has not responded to the ultimatum, LaNang told Mizzima.

At least 10 Burmese battalions under the Northern Command and Military OperationsCommand No. 21 based in Bhamo are engaging Battalion 15 of Brigade 3 in MomaukTownship in Kachin State.

Areas around KIO headquarters in Laiza are being threatened, said KIA officials.Officials of the Buga Company, which is owned by the KIO, were evacuated from thearea, but the company is still in operation, according to the KIA.

From a distance of six miles, government troops fired 82 and 120-millimeter motorrounds into KIA military camps, and troops retreated to a base one mile from Bum Sen,a KIA stronghold. The KIA is currently repositioning and resisting government attacks.

Sources said three KIA soldiers and an unknown number of government soldiers werekilled in the recent fighting. At least 100 people injured in the fighting have been taken toMomauk Hospital and Bhamo Hospital, said La Nang, based on reports from localresidents.

At least 2,000 villagers from the area around Lweje Township have reportedly fled toKyegaung and Larring villages in China.

'We tried to halt the fighting as much as we could, but they have launched a majoroffensive. We don't want war. We have to defend ourselves, but we don't like fighting',La Nang said.

Residents in the area controlled by the KIA have been warned to be on the alert.Residents around Lajayung, Madeeyang and Aungja villages have fled to Laiza,according to KIA officials.

Myanmar government troops battle rebels near China Border The New York Times , June 15, 2011Thomas Fullerwww.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/world/asia/16myanmar.html?scp=1&sq=KACHIN&st=cse



A new 'civilian' government revives an old civil war The Irrawaddy , June 15, 2011Editorial

It's been a long time coming, but it seems like the vaunted "peace" that Burma's formermilitary rulers brought to much of the country over the past two decades has finallyreverted to war.

Of course, we use the term "former military rulers" advisedly. The new government thathas taken shape since last year's bogus election consists of the same lineup of militaryhardliners that ruled in the not-so-distant past. And you can be sure that the one nameconspicuously missing from this list -- that of Snr-Gen Than Shwe -- is still very much onthe lips of his underlings now at the helm of the new "civilian" regime.

If there was ever any doubt about this, events in Kachin State since early this weekshould dispel them. The return to open hostilities between the Burmese army and therebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA), ending a ceasefire that has been in place since1994, is just the latest step in Than Shwe's long-term project of "nationalreconsolidation"Ñhis answer to calls for national reconciliation.

That's why this week's clashes in the northern Momauk region, near the Chineseborder, should come as no surprise. As early as last year, Kachin leaders told TheIrrawaddy that their refusal to buy into a scheme that would have put their troops underBurmese command as "border guard forces" probably made war inevitable.

On Monday, Kachin military commander Gwan Maw told Radio Free Asia that theconflict could turn into a full-blown civil war unless the government negotiates with theKIA's political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization.

This is not an idle threat. Ever since a breakaway faction of a former Karen ceasefiregroup engaged in fierce fighting with Burmese troops near the Thai border immediatelyafter last year's Nov. 7 election, ethnic tensions have been rising. Since March, ShanState has also seen renewed conflict, with troops from the Shan State Army -- includinga brigade from a former ceasefire group -- engaging in a series of skirmishes andbattles with the Burmese army that have claimed casualties on both sides and killeddozens of civilians.

The most disturbing aspect of all this is that the Burmese government, flush with victoryon the political battlefield, seems to be pursuing its policy of crushing its ethnicopponents with renewed vigor.

But this isn't just a matter of getting on with the unfinished business of reassertingmilitary control over Burma's hinterlands. Increasingly, these areas are becoming key tothe survival strategy of the country's rulers.



It is no accident, then, that the worst clashes to occur so far have been in an area whereChina is building two major dams as part of a hydroelectric power plant. There havebeen reports that hundreds of Burmese government troops were deployed to thenorthern region to drive out Kachin forces after they refused to abandon a strategicbase near the project. China officially confirmed that about 30 Chinese engineers fromthe state-owned China Datang Corporation were caught up in the conflict.

It is also no coincidence that the Burmese army's decision to go on the offensive comes just weeks after the newly installed president, ex-Gen Thein Sein, traveled to China forhis first official state visit in his new role to cement his government's ties with Beijing.

One of the issues the two sides discussed was stability along their shared border,something that Beijing has been especially concerned about since 2009, when theBurmese regime routed the ethnic Kokang army, sending thousands of refugees fleeinginto China. The question is, did Thein Sein get a green light from his hosts to go afterthe Kachin, in order to protect a project that is worth billions of dollars to China andBurma's generals?

If so, the situation looks grim indeed for the KIA, whose leaders have confided that theywill be hard-pressed to hold onto their bases for more than six months if they are facedwith a full-scale offensive. With somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 troops, the KIAwill be grossly outmatched by the 400,000-strong Burmese army, and may be hopingthat China will intervene to bring the Burmese to the negotiating table to avoid abloodbath and a fresh exodus of refugees across the border.

But it is not only the KIA and the other ethnic armies that should be worried by thesedevelopments. The new government's willingness to resort to force is a throwback to thebad habits of the past, and only serves to confirm that Burma is still in the thralls ofThan Shwe's political vision of a nation united under his thumb.

Instability Beckons in Wake of Kachin Conflict The Irrawaddy , June 15, 2011Wai Moe

Since violence erupted in Kachin State on June 9, local sources claim stability innorthern Burma has deteriorated rapidly with several explosions in state capitalMyitgyina and the government closure of Sino-Burmese trading routes.

Officials of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) told The Irrawaddy that sinceTuesday evening, Burmese authorities have closed roads from Bamo and Myitkyina tothe Chinese border. Meanwhile, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the military wingof the KIO, has destroyed at least three bridges at military locations.



"Our troops reported to headquarters that, following the closure of the Bahmo andMyitkyina roads, Light Infantry Division 66 from Pyay has mobilized the frontline with ourtroops," said Awng Ja, an official of the KIO in Laiza.

Despite the closure of the border trading route, businessmen in Laiza said that severalChinese lorries with goods for export still crossed the border and came into Laiza inorder to trade. And Chinese authorities on the border have still kept checkpoints openalong Kachin State, although there is no more security surveillance.

A KIO official told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that at least three small explosionsoccurred in Myitkyina in the past three days. He denied that his organization wasdirectly responsibility for the blasts but said, "However, there are many KIO militias inKachin towns." Although the bomb blasts took place in the busy Kachin town, nocasualties have so far been reported, the KIO officer added.

The KIO also said in an announcement on Tuesday that one of their liaison officials inMyitkyina was tortured and killed following his arrest the previous Thursday.

Meanwhile, sources from Burma's largest ethnic armed group, the United Wa StateArmy, report that the 33 Light Infantry Division bases in Sagaing and 44 Light InfantryDivision bases in Thaton, Mon State, have been redeployed to Kachin and Shan statesamid the fresh armed conflict.

Responding to armed conflicts in Kachin State, ethnic politicians and the NationalLeague for Democracy, led by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, expressedconcern about the situation and called for more dialogue towards a peaceful resolution.

"The new government should start peace talks with honesty and maturity. If the conflictbecomes worse, civil war will flame," said Tu Yaw, general secretary of the Kachin StateProgressive Party formed by former KIO leaders.

Aye Maung, the chairman of the Rakhin Nationalities Development Party, said that thegovernment wants to include ethnic groups within the Border Guard Force (BGF), butthe ethnic armed groups rejected this plan. "For peace, both sides must forget aboutthese conflicts and sit down together. For negotiations, it is better that the Parliamentorganizes a committee with different ethnicities," Aye Maung added.

Tensions have existed between the Burmese Army and different ethnic groups,including the KIO, since the BGF plan were initiated in April 2009. Last week, tensionsin Kachin State sparked into fresh fighting as the Burmese Army called for KIA troops towithdraw from the Chinese-run Ta Paing Hydropower Project in Bahmo District. Inresponse, the KIO called for government troops to withdraw from their territory. The twosides then exchanged fire from June 9 until Wednesday afternoon.

Due to violent clashes around the hydropower site, Chinese workers shut the plant onTuesday after the last group of 100 employees returned to China.



There has been no immediate interference from Beijing regarding the conflict in KachinState, despite thousands of Chinese immigrants working in the area. In the past threeyears, Chinese government members have repeatedly called for greater border stabilityand the guaranteed security of Chinese citizens during meetings with their Burmesecounterparts in Beijing and Naypyidaw.

Latest reports from the area suggest that two high ranking Burmese military officialstravelled to China on Wednesday to discuss the Kachin conflict with their Chinesecounterparts.

Despite the absense of an official response to the conflict, KIO sources reveal thatChinese border authorities have allowed children and elderly Kachin refugees to enterChina.

Over the five days of armed conflict, Burmese state-run newspapers have not reportedanything of the unrest. Instead of reports on the civil war, The New Light of Myanmarcarried a story on Wednesday about Kachin State Chief Minister La John Ngan openinga workshop on natural disaster responses in Myitkyina.

Tatmadaw columns inevitably counterattack KIA troops for their threats andarmed attacks New Light of Myanmar [Burma regime-controlled newspaper], June 18, 2011

Government opens the door of peace to welcome those who are holding different viewsif they wish to cooperate with the government in mutually concerned cases for theinterests of the nation and the people and run for election in compliance with democraticpractices to justly gain powerTatmadaw counterattacks on KIA just to protect its members, nation's importanthydropower project without even a single intention of aggression or oppression

KIA based in Kachin State is committing deterrence to development projects of KachinState, disturbing to the tasks, posing threats and disturbance to Chinese staff who areworking at hydropower projects. On 16 April, they made threats to stop quarry works onthe east bank of the Malikha River and take their permission to continue the works.

On 5 May, KIA entered Lahsa Hydropower Project on the east bank of the MalikhaRiver and threatened Chinese staff to move to the west bank of the river within two daysand to withdraw the extended camps from the east bank as quickly as possible.

In the afternoon of 8 June, KIA group called and examined a member of Tatmadawsecurity unit which was discharging security duty at Tarpein Hydropower Project inKachin State and seized a rucksack with rounds of ammunition. In that regard, twoTatmadaw officers went to KIA camp to settle the issue. But they were detained by KIAwithout any reason.



While a military column led by the Base Tactical Operation Commander was marchingto Tarpein Hydropower Project from Bhamo, KIA troops taking positions at HsankhaCamp of KIA Liaison Office and at Htonbo on the hill at the entrance to TarpeinHydropower Project opened fires at the column. After responding to the gun fires theTatmadaw column on 9 June took back the two Tatmadaw officers detained by KIA.

Although the Tatmadaw column informed KIA to withdrawl from its temporary campnear Tarpein Hydropower Project not later than 11 June, KIA did not follow. TheTatmadaw column inevitably attacked and occupied the temporary camp on 12 Juneevening.

On 8 June, members of KIA unreasonably captured a police private and a civilian fromthe guardhouse of Microwave Station near Keikhteik Village, Mansi township, BhamoDistrict.

Though responsible police force negotiated for their release, KIA did not release them.But, they freed the detainees only when the Tatmadaw column demanded the releaseon 12 June.

Tarpein Hydelpower Project is the joint venture project of the Ministry of Electric PowerNo. 1 and Datang (Yunnan) United Hydropower Developing (DUHD) Company ofChina. The project is an important one and the two sides have invested heavily in theproject.

As KIA members disturbed and threatened Chinese experts and employees assigned tothe project, authorities warned them not to cause hindrances to the project.

But the KIA did, not pay heed to the warning, instead it launched heavy weapon fire atthe project from its Dunbon Outpost, made the route linking Tarpain Hydel PowerProject unsafe and blew up pylons carrying cables connecting the project and BhamoDistrict.

Due to their threats, altogether 215 Chinese employees assigned to the project wentback to China from 9 to 14 June. Fifty Chinese employees left the project on 9 June, 84on 12 June, 53 on 13 June and 28 on 14 June respectively. The project which isequipped with four 60-MHz generators ceased to operate as from 14 June, causing a

great loss to the State and the people.

Tatmadaw columns had to inevitably attack the KIA just to rescue its officers detainedby the KIA without any reason and to protect high-cost Tarpein Hydropower Project,which can largely benefit the region as well as the nation. In response to the attack ofthe Tatmadaw, KIA blew up nine bailey bridges, 10 RC type bridges, four concretebridges, two wooden bridges, altogether 25 bridges, which are of importance intransportation of Kachin State, from 14 to 16 June. Such destructive acts of KIAseverely harm interests of the region and the nation, destabilizing tranquility of localpeople and seriously damaging transport facilities.



Concerning national reconsolidation, there are still personalities and organizations athome and abroad and underground organizations that are unwilling to acknowledge theseven-step Road Map and the constitution. Nevertheless, they should bear in mind thatthey are also Myanmar and should hold the concept that Myanmar is their motherlandand the incumbent government is their own government constituted with own nationalraces at different levels.

Chapter (12) of the constitution stated that constitution can be amended in accordancewith the procedures. However, no one, on the pretext of this, should degrade the imageof their country in international community as well as causing harm to people of ownrace.

The government has publicly announced that it would open the door of peace towelcome those who are holding different views if they wish to cooperate with thegovernment in mutually concerned cases for the interests of the nation and the peopleand run for election in compliance with democratic practices to justly gain power. KIAnowadays needs to realize the actual attitude of the State.

The only objective of the Tatmadaw in launching attacks on KIA is just to protect itsmembers and an important hydropower project of the nation without even a singleintention of aggression or oppression. Ð MNA

Letter from Laiza: High Spirits at the Kachin Rebel Headquarters The Irrawaddy , June 21, 2011Ryan Libre

In Laiza spirits are high. There is a vibrancy in the air and the leadership of the KachinIndependence Organization (KIO) and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army(KIA), talk of their options with optimism. Many civilians have huddled into churches andmakeshift refugee camps just meters from the Chinese border. They have chosen thisspot because they don't trust the central government not to order an attack on civilians,but know that Naypyidaw is concerned about shelling China by accident. Those left inthe city don't look scared.

The Kachin are in the honeymoon stage of war. If this turns into a full-scale prolongedwar, this honeymoon will fade as the realities of war and refugees grow. However, thecelebratory atmosphere in Laiza is not without warrant. I have personally seen manyfactors, some of which are still unknown even to specialists on the topic, that give theKachin reason to be optimistic about their position and enable them to bargain with thecentral government with authority. The Burmese army has no chance of quickly wipingout the KIA as they did the Kokang in 2009.

The Kachin are known to be fierce fighters, but they are not warmongers. Even now, inthe excitement of renewed fighting, one of the most frequently spoken words I hear



during the long civil debates among the leaders and elders is "simsa," which meanspeace in their native Jinghpaw language. The Kachin are the most peace-loving, kindand tolerant people I have ever come across.

However, the Kachin cannot live peacefully without their own army under the currentgovernment. As one civilian member of the KIO's central committee told me, "There areso many gross abuses of power now, I can't image what would happen if we had noarms to create a balance."

Naypyidaw demanded that the KIO/KIA accept the Border Guard Force (BGF) planwithout addressing any of the reasons the Kachin feel they need to protect themselves.In the many talks the two sides held to discuss the BGF issue, the central governmentnever truly negotiated. It thought it had enough weapons and power to bully the KIA toaccept, but in the end was unable to get its own way, which brings us to the inevitablefighting this week.

The commander of the Burmese army's Northern Regional Command, Brig-Gen ZeyarAung, wrote a letter to the KIO under the heading, "In response to your request [for acease-fire]," even though the KIO had never asked for a cease-fire. Before the Kachinleaders could even begin to draft a reply, they had to decide what this example ofOrwellian doublespeak was actually supposed to mean. Reading between the lines,they decided that the message from the northern commander was this: "There is nomeaningful dialogue to be had with us." After much deliberation and many drafts, theKIO replied, in part, that if the government wanted the fighting to stop, there was noneed for a cease-fire. Simply stop your troops from entering our area and the fighting

will cease by itself, they said.

This is proof that the central government is incapable of, and seemingly not eveninterested in, working toward a lasting solution to the deep-seated problems that havebeen with this unequal union from the very beginning. The KIO has asked China to stepin and mediate the situation. But at this stage, they seem more convinced than ever thatthe "road map to disciplined democracy" was created to give directions to a dead endand waste time so that the central government could continue to rape the land andamass wealth and weapons.

Even though they appear to have lost all faith in Naypyidaw, the KIO/KIA still believe

that peace will return to their homeland. The US, EU and UN can all do more to bringlasting peace to the Kachin and Burma. However, even combined, they have lessinfluence over Burma than China does. What China will do is still not clear.

What the Kachin see as a solution is clear. As Gen Gam Shawng, the KIA chief of staff,told me: "If we get real state rights and a federal union, we will lay down our arms. It willbe a clean and lasting diplomatic solution."

It is equally clear to the Kachin that the Lady in Rangoon, rather than the generals inNaypyidaw, represents their best hope of achieving the permanent peace they seek.



This is probably why, at a time when Laiza had been emptied of much of its population,many of those who remained, including KIO/KIA leaders such as Gen Gam Shawng andGen Gun Maw, took precious time away from their duties to pay their respects to AungSan Suu Kyi on her 66th birthday last Sunday.

Some 150 people attended a birthday event organized by a group known as theDemocratic Force, consisting mostly of students from the '88 generation. The majoritywere Kachin, although there were also many other ethnic groups and Burmese at theparty. After the ceremony was finished, people lined up to sign a two-meter tall birthdaycard for Suu Kyi. Gen Gam Shawng was the first to add his name.

It is impossible to understand how the Kachin see Suu Kyi without looking at therelationship her father, Gen Aung San, had with them. It was Aung San who convincedthe Kachin to join the union. They trusted his promise of a union based on equality, apromise that was betrayed by his successors. This history has forever changed KachinState and its people, making it difficult for some Kachin to put complete trust in SuuKyi's promises. The fact that many now see her as a person worthy of real admiration isperhaps a signal that the KIO/KIA is willing to let go of the past and work together forthe future.

Border wars risk turning back the clock 20 years Democratic Voice of Burma , June 21, 2011Brian McCartan

Fierce fighting in Kachin state adds to speculation that widespread civil war may not befar off in Burma. Three separate insurgencies and the potential for more to break outthreaten the country's internal and border security. Also at risk are the small gains ineconomic and social development in the country's border regions that have been madesince the beginning of the ceasefires two decades ago.

The spiral toward civil war began on election day on 7 November last year when troopsfrom the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) revolted against joining thegovernment's Border Guard Force (BGF) plan. After briefly seizing two border towns,the group allied itself with the still insurgent Karen National Union (KNU) from which it

split in 1994.

Government pressure against the 1st Brigade of the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N)resulted in skirmishes that progressed to an army offensive in early March. Opposed to

joining the BGF, the 1st Brigade resumed guerrilla warfare and spread its operationsfrom its central Shan state base area into northern Shan state. By 21 May it had joinedforces with the insurgent Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) along the border withThailand to become the Shan State Army (SSA).



The largest fighting to date began on 9 June when army moves into territory of theKachin Independence Army (KIA) were resisted with force. Much of the hostilities arecentered around the sites of two hydropower dams being built by the China DatangCorporation on the Taping River, leading some analysts to speculate the army's aimsare to secure the dam sites, perhaps with tacit Chinese approval. However limited thearmy's aims may or may not be, KIA units to the west and south of the fighting havetaken steps to prevent army reinforcements and resupply, moves that threaten tospread the conflict to other areas.

The fierce reaction of the KIA indicates the army is unlikely to repeat its rapid victoryagainst the Kokang in August 2009. That offensive saw the virtual destruction of theKokang Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in operations that lastedonly days, but which generated some 30,000 refugees and the most severe rebuke fromChina to date. After twelve days of fighting, the Burmese army has yet to force the KIAaway from the dams.

The army has likewise been unable to decisively defeat the SSA or the DKBA aftermonths of fighting. Instead the conflict has only grown with both groups allyingthemselves with other insurgent groups. Additionally, tensions created by the fightinghave resulted in a revolt of other units of the BGF in Karen State.

It is unlikely, however, that the insurgents will be able to seize power. Too small toconfront the army individually, their best hope is an alliance. Fifteen insurgent andceasefire groups, including the KNU, KIA, and SSA, formed the United NationalitiesFederal Council in February 2011 as a military and political alliance. It is still too early to

tell what impact the alliance will have, but insurgent efforts to organize military orpolitical alliances have historically achieved little success. They have often founderedon mistrust, competition for leadership and an inability to operationalise cooperationacross the large distances separating the various groups.

Alliance or not, continued distrust of the military and a government perceived as simplya new manifestation of the previous dictatorship, together with the human rights abusesand killings that accompany the army's operations, will only fuel insurgent resolve toresist. Numerous human rights reports have extensively documented the pervasivehuman rights violations that accompany army counterinsurgency campaigns. AlreadyKachin, Shan and Karen human rights monitors have reported rape, torture and

extrajudicial killings by army units.

Instead of creating the stability promised by President Thein Sein in speechesimmediately after his inauguration, army operations threaten to destabilise the country,reversing whatever economic and social development has been achieved in ethnicminority areas in the past two decades. Large-scale displacement brought on by armyoperations and fighting will force villagers to abandon fields, livestock and personalbelongings. Infrastructure will be destroyed, movement restrictions imposed and traderoutes heavily regulated or closed. Already, the KIA has destroyed several bridges andthe military has closed routes between Bhamo and Myitkyina and the Chinese border.



Human rights abuses attributed to the army, or the fear of them, have long been agreater cause of refugee outflows and internal displacement than armed conflict. Thearmy's penchant for using civilians as guides and porters has been cited by refugees asmajor reasons for fleeing areas of potential fighting. Already, Kachin sources estimatearound 10,000 people have fled to refugee camps set up by the Kachin IndependenceOrganisation (KIO) along the border with China.

Large refugee flows are potentially destabilising to Burma's neighbours, China andThailand. Burma was recently listed by the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR) as the fifth largest producer of refugees in the world. Around30,000 refugees fled to China in the wake of the Kokang offensive in 2009 and 20,000fled to Thailand in November 2010.

Fighting close to the border also brings the risk of stray artillery shells and spillovers offighting as insurgent and army forces maneuver for advantage. Several Thai soldiershave been killed and wounded by mortar shells and landmines along the border sinceNovember.

A further destabilising influence is the increase in drugs and smuggling likely to result asinsurgent groups seek to maintain their war chests and replenish weapons andammunition. Thailand is currently waging a drug war that began with an increased influxof narcotics as ceasefire groups sold off stocks to purchase more weapons. Jane'sIntelligence Review in April reported a large shipment of weapons and ammunitionoriginating in Cambodia to the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the possibility of thepurchase of weapons stolen from Thai army armories in March 2011 and September

2010.

A spreading ethnic civil war could bring an end to the military's experiment with'disciplined democracy.' Insurgency and Shan moves for discussions on instituting aformal federal system resulted in the military coup of 1962 and 48 years of militarymisrule. Increased fighting could give the military a pretext for reinstating direct militaryrule, a possibility enshrined in the current constitution.

Already, opposition and ethnic politicians have called for restraint and dialogue by boththe army and insurgent groups. Their calls are supported by the National League forDemocracy (NLD), the party of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi which was

barred from participating in the elections, but still commands much support.

Recent government overtures for a ceasefire with the Kachin were perceived asinsincere. Army battalions are moving in as reinforcements in all three regions andfighting is expected to escalate. Without a negotiated settlement and concessions by allsides, Burma is set to witness fighting, destruction and displacement in the ethnic statesthat it has not witnessed in twenty years.

Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist.



Thailand needs to be concerned about fighting on the Sino-Burma border: Kachinnewsman Shan Herald Agency for News , June 21, 2011

Lahpai Naw Din, editor of the Kachin News Group (KNG), told the Thai media yesterdaycurrent fighting between Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burma Army on theSino-Burma border should be a cause of concern for Thailand, despite a distance ofsome 500km from the kingdom.

"The Kachin Independence Organization / Kachin Independence Army (KIO / KIA) is aleading member of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)," he said. "Anattack against on member is regarded as an attack against all."Other prominent members include Karen National Union (KNU) and Karenni NationalProgressive Party (KNPP)) along the Thai border and Chin National Front (CNF) alongthe Indian border. The Shan State Army (SSA) "North", another member, has beenfighting since 13 March, when it was attacked by the Burma Army.

There are also two lessons to be learned from the Kachin experience, he told hislisteners, among whom were reporters from the widely read Thai Rath daily, Issara andVoice of America.

"The first is that foreigners working inside Burma under joint projects could becomehostages at the Burma Army's mercy," Naw Din said. The 215 Chinese workers workingat hydropower plants Taping #1 and Taping #2, for example, were advised by the KIA toleave before the fighting began on 9 June. "However, the Burma Army told them not toleave and, as a result, they unintentionally became pawns for the Burma Army." Theworkers were later transported to the border by the KIA following a lull in the battle.

"The second lesson is that Naypyitaw will enlist the neighboring countries' support in itscampaign against the ethnic movements," he said.Thailand has won concession to construct a deep sea port in Burma's Tavoy/Dawei thatwill serve as a shortcut to the present roundabout passage through the Straits ofMalacca.

"A better choice would be to push the Burmese rulers to honor the agreement reachedat Panglong (in 1947)," he said. The agreement between Aung San, father ofdemocracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and leaders of the Frontier Areas (as non-Burmanethnic territories were then known) promised total autonomy, democracy and humanrights for the Frontier Areas, who were entitled to become separate nations, accordingto the late Shan leader Shwe Ohn.

China has called for "restraint" and peaceful resolution. Asean and India, meanwhile,have yet to respond to the situation.



Ceasefire pacts between Naypyitaw and armed ethnic groups fell apart after the formerdemanded that the latter become part of the national armed forces in 2009.

Threat to peace Mizzima News , June 23, 2011Nyo Ohn Myint

The recent armed conflict between the Kachin Independent Organization (KIO) and theBurmese army is predictable -- it has been a long time in the making.

Things started downhill with the divide-and-rule policy of dictator Senior-General ThanShwe, which led to ethnic regions with many competing groups and policies, making itthat much harder to find any common ground, or, for that matter, any single group thatcan speak on ethnic issues.

Many promises were made by the new president, former General Thein Sein, after hetook power at the beginning of this year, but he clearly has no idea how to address therole of ethnic diversity in Burma. The policy of a central, single-power government is innatural competition with the ethnic groups' desire for greater autonomy.

Without a new, effective policy, the new civilian government has little real chance ofpromoting meaningful economic development, including the attracting of large numbersof new investors that Burma urgently requires.

Without peace, there is a question of who will want to invest in Burma, with theexception of China, India and Thailand, neighbouring countries that see Burma's energyresources as ripe for the picking.

In fact, all of eastern Burma from north to south has the smell of imminent civil war. AEuropean assessment firm said recently that without peace, there's no profit frominvestment in Burma. Stability is required -- and that's the one thing that's hard to comeby right now.

For the Chinese, however, it's a different case. Peace would benefit them, of course, buttheir overriding concern is strategic power and positioning. That means dealing for nowwith the generals. Still, for local Chinese businesses in ethnic areas, conflict spellsunderdevelopment, in areas where any economic activity is to the good.

The new government clearly is stumbling around looking for an ethnic and economicpolicy, but it shows little urgency in developing one. It seems content to deal with cease-fire and non-ceasefire groups in a piecemeal, threatening way. The case of the Kachinconflict illustrates Naypyitaw's delicate dance with China. China refused to endorse thenew government's military policy to wage war with the Kachin army, but the government



went ahead while knowing only that they would continue their police of divide-and-ruleand fight if necessary.

The Chinese are investing huge resources to build a series of hydro electrical dams.Now their workers are fleeing those projects in fear of being entangled in the new war.What is evident is the limited power of China to influence the policy of the generals whoare in ultimate control.

However, some observers see the hand of the Chinese in signing off on the new war inan effort to punish the KIO for dealing with the West and moving away from their localYunnan government across the border. The KIO has established more flexibility thanever before; it's more efficient in dealing with both Burmese and Chinese governments.

Beijing's suggestions for peace and stability are too bitter to swallow for the street-smartBurmese generals. The Chinese may feel as if they have no clear influence yet withinthe new Burmese government, which might make it harder for the military to rule behindthe scenes at some point.

Regardless, the future looks bleak unless the new Burmese government can showsigns of sincerity in reviewing the 2008 Constitution to pave the way for more autonomyfor ethnic people. Meanwhile, the benefits of the country's resources continue to golargely to the military, leaving the public sector puny scraps.

At some point things will become clearer. How can China, India and Thailand really dealwith a government that conducts wars with all the factions of the ethnic groups, witheach and every political stakeholder? Ethnic armed forces are only a step away fromtargeting mega development projects if they are put under more pressure.

Such moves would force the generals' hand. So, what should it beÑmore fighting orfollowing the road of reconciliation and negotiation? Time is running out, and the seniorgenerals' war policy is on a no-win course in the long term. But so far, they show nosign of understanding that.

The author is a member of National League for Democracy- Liberated Area

Govt compromise needed to avert all-out civil war: KIA The Irrawaddy , July 12, 2011Ba Kaung

The phrase "independence for Kachin State" is popular these days among residents ofLaiza, the headquarters of the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA), whose ongoingclashes with government troops continued until Monday, when artillery fire from theBurmese army side reportedly fell on Chinese territory.



Although KIA leaders do not use this phrase and only call for more political rights fromthe central government, they are now hinting at the inevitability of a major all-out warwith the Burmese army, which could eventually force them to separate from Burma, ifthe Burmese government does not make any move to respond to the KIA's calls forautonomy, which it has been fighting for since 1963.

"We want a true federal state, but if the government uses force to deal with us, we willbe unavoidably pushed behind the lines of 1948," said Brig-Gen Gun Maw, the KIAdeputy military chief who is playing the principal role in current discussions with theBurmese government aimed at ending the armed clashes between the two sides.

By referring to 1948 -- the year Burma regained its independence from Britain -- he wassuggesting that the country could once again be divided into two parts: central Burma,or Burma proper, and the mountainous regions predominantly populated by ethnicminorities such as the Kachin and the Shan, which were administered separately underthe British.

According to a KIA draft of a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government seenby The Irrawaddy last week, the KIA will only agree to a six-month temporary ceasefireif Naypyidaw commits to a political dialogue during this period. And the KIA wants theUnited Nationalities Federal Council, which represents the armed ethnic groups inBurma, to play a leading role in this dialogue.

Many KIA leaders also want to see changes in the current military-drafted Constitutioncoming out of this possible dialogue. Asked what will happen if the government does not

make any political concessions, Gun Maw said, "Wars will continue to take placethroughout this region. It only depends on the government to decide. We only ask forthe proper solutions."

To sound out public opinion among the Kachin people, the KIA leaders held a publicdiscussion in Laiza on Tuesday with more than 120 representatives from different partsof Kachin State. The representatives unanimously said that a true federal union shouldbe the goal of a political dialogue with the Burmese government, according to KIAspokesman La Nan.

While such formal talks continue to produce calls for federalism, however, on the

ground, there is considerable resistance to the idea of pushing for a federal union."What union? There was no union before Burma's independence. We lived by ourselveswith our own resources," said Maj Tang Sang, a KIA officer in Laiza.

The armed clashes between the two sides, which started on June 9 near a Chinese-built hydropower power plant in northern Burma, ended a 17-year ceasefire between theBurmese army and the 10,000-strong KIA, which controls territory along the Sino-Burmese border.



Since the fighting started, relations between the KIA and Chinese officials have beenrelatively static. KIA officials were privately furious that Burmese troops were permittedto enter China's border areas late last month to pick up several military trucks sold tothe Burmese army, giving rise to rumors that the Burmese army was planning to attackthe KIA from Chinese territory.

Asked if the KIA would be compelled to restrain its future military operations due toconcerns about how such actions would affect Chinese interests in Kachin State,Hkwun Nawng, the official representing the KIA in its relations with China, said, "Werespect China's recent call for peaceful solutions between us and the Burmesegovernment, but there is nothing that we won't touch simply because it is Chinese."

Meanwhile, armed clashes continue between the two sides. Since last Friday, theBurmese army has been firing artillery at the KIA's stronghold and former headquartersat Pajau, near Laiza. According to a KIA spokesman, some of the artillery fell onChinese territory.

The renewed civil war in Kachin State has already displaced an estimated 20,000people in Kachin State. More than 15,000 war refugees are still living in relief camps inLaiza and have not received any help from the international community since thefighting broke out early last month.

War, violence and refugees as the Kachin face Myanmar's junta AsiaNews.it , July 13, 2011www.asianews.it/news-en/War,-violence-and-refugees-as-the-Kachin-face-Myanmar's-

junta-22087.html

UN calls for 'restraint' in Burma's Kachin state Mizzima News , July 19, 2011Thomas Maung Shwe

The United Nations is calling for restraint to be exercised in Kachin State as the conflict

between the Burmese army and Kachin fighters shows no sign of ending.

"In light of recent significant developments in Myanmar [Burma], the United Nationsstrongly encourages all stakeholders to make every effort to avoid raising tensions thatcould damage the prospects of the country's implementation of its political andeconomic reforms," Farhan Haq, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moontold Mizzima.



Haq was responding to questions from Mizzima about the UN stance on the recentfighting in Kachin State between the Burmese central government and the KachinIndependence Organization (KIO).

Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson said in a reply sent on Friday: "The Secretary-Generaland his special adviser have been following the evolving situation in Myanmar withattention, including recent reports on the activities of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and theNLD and on the situation in Kachin State."

The UN call for restraint from all sides was met with heavy skepticism from Burmaopposition activists. Reached for comment, Mark Farmaner of the Burma campaign UKtold Mizzima: "By calling on all stakeholders to avoid raising tensions, Ban Ki-moonappears to be blaming Kachin women for being gang-raped by the Burmese Army, andblaming Aung San Suu Kyi for being threatened by the dictatorship. The statement is aclassic example of how the United Nations panders to the dictatorship instead ofstanding up for its victims."

According to Farmaner, "Ban Ki-moon says he wants implementation of politicalreforms, but the main political reform currently being implemented by the dictatorship isenforcing a new Constitution which is plunging the country into civil war, and leading toan escalation in human rights violations which break international law."

Ban Ki-moon's UN special envoy to Burma Vijay Nambiar has come under criticism byBurma activists for not being forceful enough with the new Burmese government.Nambiar, who also serves as Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff, has filled in on an interim

basis as special envoy since January 2010 and has only been involved with the Burmafile part-time. The UN told Mizzima last month that a full-time replacement will beappointed in "due time," however the UN has not given a date for when the newappointment will happen.

Civil war looms behind Burma's local conflicts The Irrawaddy , July 20, 2011Yeni

The fresh and fierce fighting in Burma's Kachin and Shan states is a signal that Burmais on the verge of a civil war that may ultimately involve a large percentage of thecountry's ethnic armed groups.

In Shan State, the Burmese Army -- using around 1,500 troops, including artillerybattalions -- has launched a major offensive against the Shan State Army (SSA), whichhas about 1,000 troops defending its headquarters in Wan Hai, Mong Hsu Township.Injured Burmese troops were reportedly evacuated from the area to major cities usinghelicopters from Nam Hsan Air Force Base.



In Kachin State, the fighting is equally tough, with landmines exploding, bridges beingblown up and soldiers being shot dead in ambushes. In addition, the Kachin Women'sAssociation Thailand (KWAT) claims that at least 18 female Kachins -- aged between15 and 50 years old -- were gang-raped by Burmese soldiers during the recent armedconflict. As a result of the fighting and atrocities, the resulting humanitarian crisis is fastgetting worse, with some 2,000 more people recently forced to flee their homes.

The escalating ethnic strife facing Burma's new government is threatening both internaland border security, and stands as a stark contrast to President Thein Sein's call in Aprilfor peace and stability in the ethnic areas.

Thein Sein, it should be noted, is also the Chairman of the Central Committee forProgress of Border Areas and National Races. But despite his pledge and position ofresponsibility, the Alternative Asean Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma), a regionalhuman rights group, said in a statement that Burma's "new" government has failed totake any meaningful steps towards political, legal and economic reforms.

In a five-page brief, ALTSEAN-Burma said that Burmese troops continued "to attack, killand rape ethnic civilians," while over 2,000 political prisoners are still being detainedunder atrocious conditions.

"If this is Thein Sein in his first 100 days, one dreads to think what the rest of the year isgoing to be like for the people of Burma," said ALTSEAN-Burma's coordinator, DebbieStothard. "His actions and policies seem to be exactly the opposite of the promises hemade."

Armed conflicts have been a permanent challenge for Burma since the country won itsindependence from Britain in 1948. But a series of ceasefire agreements, signedfollowing the collapse of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1989, brought openconflict with ethnic militias to a halt.

Since then, the ceasefire groups, such as United Wa State Army (UWSA) and theKachin Independence Organization (KIO), have existed in uncomfortable peace with theBurmese army, maintaining self-administered fiefdoms in the areas under their control.

Over the past years, however, the situation has worsened following the introduction of

the Burmese military leaders' scheme to extend its control over the ceasefire ethnicgroups. The so-called Border Guard Force (BGF) plan -- tied to the timing of last year'selection -- threatened to shake a fragile status quo in the ethnic areas, and the fightingmany had predicted has now become a reality.

Some observers said that the huge investments by Burmese and Chinese businesses inboth infrastructure and hydropower dams in the ethnic areas is a contributing factor -- ifnot the root cause -- of the renewed conflict.



They said that because there is no guarantee that the mega-projects will bring animproved standard of living for the average citizens of the border states -- while themilitary and elite who rule the country will clearly benefit from the resulting foreign directinvestment dollars and export earnings -- the resentment of the local ethnic groups hasboiled over into armed conflict to protect their turf.

In addition, the Burmese government is using the threats to their projects as an excuseto attack the ethnic armed groups and attain by military force what they could notachieve by coercion with respect to the BGF.

"By using the protection of the dams to justify military action, Naypyidaw tries to coverup its intention to eliminate the KIA and enlist Chinese support to squeeze the armedgroup out of its traditional territory," noted Yun Sun, a foreign policy analyst inWashington D.C. who was a Beijing-based China analyst for the International CrisisGroup from 2008-2011.

In an article published by CSIS Pacific Forum, she also said, "The KIA sees China'sdesire for border stability and dam safety, and is using the conflict to force China intomediating a settlement." However, the military approach is risky for both sides, sheargued.

By jeopardizing China's border stability and vested interests, Naypyidaw may invitepressure from and intervention by China in its ethnic affairs, which may not work inNaypyidaw's interest.

And Yun Sun pointed out that KIA has even more at stake, because China has accusedKachin groups of harassing and blackmailing Chinese hydropower companies. Unlikethe UWSA, which has refrained from colliding with the Burmese military, the KIA isopenly challenging China's bottom-line interests, and as a result is being seen asdeliberately breaking the status quo and rejecting Naypyidaw's offer of a ceasefire.

This may already have backfired on the KIA, because while the KIA had reached anagreement in April 2010 with other Sino-Burmese border-based groups such as theUWSA, Shan State Army (SSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) tosupport each other if attacked by the Burmese Army, heavy pressure from Chinaprevented the UWSA from helping in the Kachin and Shan state fighting.

Thus, KIA and SSA have formed an alliance with the ethnic Chin, Karen, Karenni andMon armed groups that are based on the Thai-Burmese border, forming an umbrellaalliance called the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC).

"Amidst our differences and diversities over the past five or six decades, we havemanaged to establish an alliance through creating a common platform on which we allcan come together and share as a family. We all agree to work together towardsbringing democracy and federalism into Burma," said Colonel Solomon of the Chin



National Front (CNF), a member of the UNFC, according to the Chinland Guardian, anethnic Chin news agency.

In a statement issued on February 17, the UNFC said that its basic principles and aimsinclude working for better recognition of the ethnic armed groups, for ethnic equality,rights and self-determination, and for a genuine democratic federal Union of Burma.

Recently, ethnic leaders meeting with EU officials in Bangkok called for the EU to brokerpolitical dialogue between Burma's government and its ethnic groups.

"All the government troops will have to retreat to their former bases if there is aceasefire," said Nai Hang Thar, the secretary of the New Mon State Party. "Also, thegovernment must declare ceasefires with all the ethnic armed groups in the country, notonly in Kachin State."

Zipporah Sein, the general secretary of the Karen National Union, said, "We alwayswelcome dialogue. But the dialogue must involve all ethnic groups, not on a case bycase basis. Our aim is to establish a federal state."

Does Burma launch colonial war in Kachin state? Oped News , July 21, 2011Zin Linnwww.opednews.com/articles/Does-Burma-launch-colonial-by-Zin-Linn-110721-53.html

The fighting between Burma's armed forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)increased soon after the Kachin people abandoned new ceasefire talks with thegovernment at Laiza on July 12 and 13.

All at once, the war has gradually broadened in three main areas in Kachin State, theSinbo area in Mohnyin Township, Manmaw (Bhamo) District and Waingmaw Township,referring local people Kachin News Group said.

On July 16, when government troops tried to penetrate into Laiza, the KIA's restrictedarea, the fighting broke out. It was the largest battle of the week, said the Kachin NewsGroup's reporter in Laiza.

KIA captured seven Burmese soldiers, including a captain after two days of fighting atHka Ya, near the Kachin headquarters at Laiza, in Burma's Northern Kachin State. Thecaptive soldiers are from Infantry Battalion No. 21, based in Myitkyina. They werecaptured with 19 weapons, including two machine guns, a 60 mm mortar and the mainmilitary communication device, according to KIA officials in Laiza.

Fighting has happened in another location in Kachin State close to the Shan Stateborder since July 16, a local resident said. A Burmese Army deputy battalion



commander and three soldiers were killed during the conflict with the KIA in ManjeTownship, in Manmaw District, in Kachin State, KIA officials said.

The Burmese soldiers were from the Light Infantry Battalion No. 348 based in Mong Mit.They were killed during fighting with the KIA Battalion 12, led by Major Zau Gam, whichis based in Manje (Mansi) Township, southern Manmaw (Bhamo) District, according toKIA officials in Laiza headquarters. The KIA also captured three guns carried by deadsoldiers, KIA officials said.

A KIA soldier was killed yesterday by Burmese troops led by the dead-deputycommander, after the KIA fighter was captured with his gun, according to KIA Battalion12.

Besides, the Burmese government has been driving a wedge into ethnic factions. Thegovernment deploys quite a lot of Kachin soldiers from pro-government militias and itsBorder Guard Force (BGF), in the civil war against the KIA in Kachin State and NorthernShan State, sources from Kachin militias and the BGF said.

Sixty militiamen from the Rebellion Resistance Force (RRF), based in Hkawng-lang-hpu, in Puta-O District, led by Tanggu Dang, a.k.a. Ah Dang, have been deployed toKIA strongholds near the China border, in eastern Kachin State, since June, sourcesclose to the militia group said.

According to sources close to the Burmese Army, the Burmese government is going tostart a full-blown maneuver against the minority Kachin army in the country's north afterlosing recent battles.

In Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, tanks and war planes are preparing for theoffensive against the KIA, which has bases around Kachin State and Northern ShanState, said Myitkyina residents. Fuel, arms and ammunition have been stockpiled at theNorthern Regional Military Command, according to local military observers.

Burmese troops are currently in action in eight townships - Mohnyin, Myitkyina, Waimaw(Waingmaw), N'mawk (Momauk), Manje (Mansi), Sumprabum, Hpakant and Danai --said KIA officials in Laiza headquarters.

The KIA's 4th Brigade and its five battalions are based in Muse, Kutkai and Lashio InNorthern Shan State. Burmese troop has been reinforcing significantly in KIA 4thBrigade's area since early July, as said by local witnesses.

According to Burmese military sources, on July 18, high level military summit was heldin Naypyidaw, Burma's capital, followed by a regional military meeting at NorthernRegional Command, in Myitkyina, the next day.

The key agenda of discussion in the two meetings concentrated on the offensiveagainst the KIA and all remaining minority armed groups which rejected transforming



into the government- controlled Border Guard Force (BGF), added the sources. It wasalleged that the war plan was ordered by two top military leaders, Senior General ThanShwe and Vice-Senior Maung Aye.

In hope of setting up political dialogue, the KIO signed a ceasefire agreement with thethen junta on February 24, 1994 and supported the military-favored 2008 constitution.However, no political dialogue happened in the 17-year ceasefire time and the KIO wassqueezed transforming into the government-controlled Border Guard Force (BGF)before the November 7 election.

The latest series of armed clashes in Kachin state have prompted observers to believethat purposeful war in the border regions may not be avoidable.

The Thein Sein government seems to be unenthusiastic to end political and civilcontradictions in ethnic regions. So, it is clear that Thein Sein government is notheading toward democracy. Instead it is attempting to colonize the ethnic statesferociously.

Don't tread on the KIA The Irrawaddy , July 22, 2011Ba Kaung

"When we were young, we stepped on jade stones when we walked, found goldnuggets when we panned the rivers and saw tall teak trees when we passed by theforests," said the Rev Lazum Tuja, a middle-aged ethnic Kachin and Christian priest, ina March sermon.

"But now, all of this is gone from Kachin State, mostly to China," he told hiscongregation. "Since we are being looted of all our possessions, this is the dark age ofthe Kachin people."

Lazum Tuja's emotional sermon reflected the frustrations of his flock in the resource-richKachin State of northern Burma. Over the past two decades, the Kachin people haveseen the depletion of their natural resources due to the growth of massive development

projects conducted by Chinese companies with the support of the Burmesegovernment. They have also experienced the consequent displacement of largenumbers of local people and negative environmental impact on their communities.

Most of this has occurred since 1994, when the Burmese army signed a ceasefireagreement with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the second strongest ethnicarmed group in Burma with an estimated 4,000 troops. The KIA has been engaged inan armed struggle for Kachin autonomy since 1961.



During the ceasefire, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing ofthe KIA, put its emphasis on infrastructure development in Kachin State and temporarilyset aside its aspirations for autonomy at the request of the former military regime, whichargued that political issues could be resolved once the new "civilian" government was inplace.

On the surface, the ceasefire brought relative peace to a region previously scourgedfirst by fighting between the Allied forces and the Japanese Imperial Army during WorldWar II, and later between the Burmese army and the Kachin rebels, who are renownedin Burma for their fighting skills.

But it was peace without a meaningful political solution, and so the Kachin people werein a powerless position when the Burmese government began forcing them to relocateen masse without any proper compensation --leaving behind their livelihoods, cultureand ancestral homes -- to make way for Chinese state-owned companies such as ChinaPower Investment to build massive hydropower dams across Kachin State. To makematters worse, much of the electricity generated from these dams will not be for theconsumption of the Kachin people, but for export to neighboring China, and therevenues from the projects will to go into Naypyidaw's coffers.

As a result, there has been widespread local resentment against the Chinese-led damprojects in Kachin State, the most prominent being the Myitsone Dam -- one of thelargest hydropower dam projects in the world which is currently under construction atthe confluence of the Irrawaddy River. To add fuel to the fire, there has was has beenescalating tension between the Burmese army and the KIA since 2009, when

Naypyidaw issued its order for the KIA to join the government's Border Guard Force(BGF).

The BGF plan was intended to place ethnic militias like the KIA and the United Wa StateArmy (UWSA), the country's strongest ethnic armed group, under the central commandof the Burmese army. The Burmese government set a number of deadlines for the KIAand UWSA to accept the BGF, but each repeatedly rejected the plan.

In Kachin State, the expiration of the BGF deadlines loomed large not only on themilitary front, but also on the political front. Kachin political parties were banned from

joining the election on grounds that their leaders were linked with the KIA, whereas the

ethnic political representatives from Shan, Mon and Arakan States were allowed toparticipate and won seats in the new Parliament.

When the election brought forth a "civilian" government led by former military generals,it was clear to the Kachin leaders that the new government would not make the politicalcompromises that the former junta chiefs had led them to expect. In addition, the mostlyChristian Kachin population were saddled with a Buddhist Kachin chief minister in theirstate, a man who represents the government-backed United Solidarity DevelopmentParty that controls Parliament.



Soon after the election, the Burmese government ratcheted-up the pressure on the KIA,forcing it to shut down its liaison offices in urban areas in Kachin State and thenordering the withdrawal of KIA troops from the area near the hydropower plant thatChinese interests are constructing on the Tapaing River, a tributary of the Irrawaddy, inBhamo District bordering China's Yunnan Province. KIA officials were indignant aboutbeing ordered to leave areas where they have been active for decades, and took it as asign that the Burmese army was poised to launch an all-out offensive against its troops.

On June 9, after the KIA refused to move away from the areas near the hydropowerplant -- which is also only a short distance from China's strategic oil pipeline runningfrom the Bay of Bengal to Yunnan Province -- the two sides exchanged gunfire near theplant, effectively ending the 17-year-old ceasefire and forcing Chinese workers to returnhome. Further armed clashes ensued in the following days, with bomb explosionsreported in major towns in Kachin State.

Analysts believe, however, that this latest conflict -- which occurred only a couple weeksafter Burma and China announced the establishment of a "comprehensive strategiccooperative partnership" during Burmese President Thein Sein's visit to Beijing in March-- could not have come as a shock to China, as happened in 2009 when the Burmesegovernment launched a surprise offensive against a small Kokang ethnic militia thatdrove at least 30,000 war refugees into China.

In 2009, there were not many Chinese investments in the Kokang area and Chinapublicly reprimanded Naypyidaw for creating instability at its border. But this time, Chinaseemed almost looking for a fight, or at least was not adverse to one, and a week after

the conflict began it merely called for "restraint on both sides."

Dr. Zarni, a Burmese visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, described theconflict as "a war of business which transcends ethnicity."

"This has very much to do with territorial expansion and development projects by Chinaand the Burmese army, which only represents the Burmese ruling elite, not theBurmese public," he said.

This piece is a summary of Ba Kaung's article that appears in The Irrawaddy's e-magazine. To read the full version visit:

http://issuu.com/irrawaddy/docs/irr_vol.19no2_june2011_issuu/10?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

We Hope the Last Kachin Alive Continues to be Kachin The Irrawaddy , July 22, 2011

The Rev. Pungga Ja Li is a local Kachin historian and the author of several books onKachin customs and culture. He is now living in Laiza, a town in Kachin State near the



Chinese border that is under the control of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), whichis currently engaged in renewed fighting with Burmese government troops in the northof Burma. In this interview, conducted by The Irrawaddy reporter Ba Kaung in Laiza inearly July, Pungga Ja Li reflects on the Kachin leaders' decision to join with theBurmese majority a year before Burma gained its independence from British rule in1948, and shares his views on the current armed clashes and the future of the Kachinpeople.

Question: How do you view the renewed conflict in Kachin State?Answer: Apparently, this is a cloudy period for all of us. But this is good in a sense thatmany Kachins now remember God. Many, including the KIO leaders, are now sayingprayers, and we are becoming more united within us. We are now praying for God'ssupport, but he sometimes can be cruel for the sake of our maturity.

Q: Here in Laiza, there is talk that the Kachin made a mistake in joining with theBurmese majority when their leaders signed the Panglong Agreement. What is youropinion on this?A: Many Kachin leaders in those days disagreed with Panglong, except Sama DuwaSinwa Nawng and Zauring. The Kachin leaders wanted to stay under British rule for fivemore years and only afterward wanted to establish the Kachin State as an independentstate. But since his own grandfather was killed by the British soldiers, Sama Duwa didnot want to deal with the British any longer -- he even slapped the ground and said thatif he made a mistake, he would get struck by lightning from the heavens. That's how hewon the trust of fellow Kachin leaders and signed the Panglong Agreement.

Otherwise, we would have been on our own all along and would never have hadanything to do with the Burmese. We have lived under our rule -- the rule of Duwas. Buteven if we made a mistake, the Panglong Agreement itself is a good treaty, I think, withall the guarantees for us though they never materialized into realities.

Q: Do Kachins feel betrayed by Aung San, who organized the Panglong Conference?What is your personal view of his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi?A: I don't know what Aung San would have treated us to if he had lived. But he came tous for Burma's independence and years ago his daughter came to us again for Burma'sdemocracy. I think Suu Kyi is a good leader, but when it comes to our affairs, she wouldonly walk away with another Noble Prize but would never be able to come to our help.

Q: Do you regret the KIA's ceasefire with the government in 1994, given that it has notproduced any political results for the Kachin.A: In 1994, we hoped to hold discussions with the government officials for a politicalsolution. But as you know, those discussions were more about chatting over drinks andmeals -- those discussions were never meaningful enough. On the other hand, theKachins forgot to prepare the military side. Many forgot gun-shooting lessons. Onlynow, they are all alert again. They did not really know their enemy well.



Q: Do you think the KIA should sign another ceasefire agreement with the governmentat this point? What about calls for independence?A: Meaningful discussions must come with the ceasefire, which will result in self-autonomy which has long been our demand. There are some talks about this call forindependence within the leadership of the KIO. We have long wanted to walk towardsthat direction. Even if all of us are killed by the government army in consequence ofthat, we'd hope that the last Kachin who remains alive continues to be a Kachin, not aBurmese. But one thing that restrains us from moving in this direction is that our eldersdecided to stay with the Burmese -- this agreement we should not break, I think.

Q: How strong is anti-Burmese sentiment among the Kachin people?A: When we refer to the Burmese, by that we mean a group of leaders, not the Burmesepopulation. But in terms of culture, we have been slowly engulfed by the Burmese ways.Culturally, we have been forced to become bankrupt under the Burmese rule. We arenow left with the Burmese culture only. Our culture has been lost over time. When youbecome bankrupt, you start borrowing the culture of others, which is Burmese in thiscase. Burmese culture is good for the Burmese of course. If I were Burmese, I might likesuch an idea that the minority groups in Burma are forced to assimilate with theBurmese majority and get rid of their identities. But the problem is we are not Burmese,and the majority don't seem to understand that our culture has its own values.

For example, the crossing over the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State's capital ofMyitkyina has long been called as Ninggawn Hkrai Wa among us, but when a bridgewas built by the Burmese government, it was named Bala Min Htin, the name of aBurmese hero, which does not make sense to our Kachins.

Q: Didn't you face the same sort of cultural imposition under the British rule?A: Of course, we have become Christians when coming into contact with Westernmissionary groups. But our previous faith in animism has many things in common withChristianity. Only after we have lived under the Burmese rule, our own style of rulingwith Duwas has disappeared and then we lost our state. But the disappearance ofDuwas must also be blamed on our own Kachin leaders as well. Those leaders, as yousee, also run away at the sound of gunfire. There were many Duwas up until 1961,when the KIA is founded. It was wrong that those Duwas did not become part of the KIAleadership. We are now left with culture only, which means everything to us. Culturerepresents our identity as a people and it is our religion too. We are trying to promote

our own culture.

Q: What is the future of the Kachin people as a whole?A: Before we can successfully resist the rule of the government, we have to fight withlayers of its proxies. For example, some proxies will be Rawang, Lashi, etc., which arethe smaller ethnics in our Kachin State too. Whether we like it or not, we will be forcedto fight with those proxies. Until we have fought them off, we will not be able to hit thetarget. But one sure thing is we should no longer take the injustices lying down and weshould stand up for our rights.



Q: There is talk that the KIA will be able fight a successful guerrilla war with thegovernment troops should any political talks fail to take place. How do you think thiswould play out?A: Yes, it is true. When the Burmese government troops came in, they needed trucksand porters who would carry the weapons in the jungle. But for us, we don't need them.We only need to provide a packet meal and a lighter to our soldiers, who would then beready to fight with the government soldiers. In terms of weaponry, we are quite inferior.But we only regret that we have not taken good strongholds like those of the UWSA(United Wa State Army, the largest ethnic armed group in the east of Burma). There arevery good places to build such strongholds in our Kachin State, which we have notprepared for war due to our ignorance.

3. DAMS

KIO warns China: Myitsone Dam could spark 'civil war' Mizzima , May 2, 2011Thomas Maung Shwe

In an open letter sent to Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO) has asked China to stop the planned Myitsone Dam to be built inBurma's northern Kachin state, warning that the controversial project could lead to civilwar.

The English-language letter dated March 16 but only recently made public and obtainedby Mizzima states that the KIO 'informed the military government that KIO would not beresponsible for the civil war if the war broke out because of this hydropower plantproject and the dam construction'. The letter is signed by KIO chairman Lanyaw ZawngHra.

As the letter notes, relations between the Burmese regime and the KIO have taken aturn for the worse. 'Since September 1, 2010 when the Myanmar military governmentdeclared that [it] would deal with KIO as it did before [the] cease-fire agreement in 1994,the communication and cooperation between the KIO and [the] Myanmar governmenthave halted'.

Myitsone Dam is the first of seven dams planned on a tributary of the Irrawaddy River toharness the hydropower of Burma's largest river.

China Power Investment Corporation (CPI), a state-owned electric company is leadingthe construction and financing of the dam which is set to be built at the confluence ofthe Mali Hka and Nmai Hka rivers, a location sacred to many Kachin. For the project,CPI has joined with Burma's state power utility Myanma Electric Power Enterprise(MEPE) and the Burmese conglomerate Asia World.



Dam threat to people and environment

The 152-metre high Myitsone Dam is the first in a series of seven on the UpperIrrawaddy that according to environmentalists will irreversibly change the lives ofmillions of people who live downstream, including in the Irrawaddy delta, which is thesource of most of Burma's rice production. Chinese engineers operating the dams willhave control over water levels in Burma's most important river, significantly alteringtransport, fishing and farming patterns that have been in existence for centuries.

CPI, Asia World and the Burmese regime have pressed ahead with plans for theMyitsone Dam despite widespread opposition from environmentalists, activists and localresidents who will be the first affected by the dam. While the KIO has previouslyopposed the Myitsone Dam, the language contained in Lanyaw Zawng Hra's letter tothe Chinese president is unprecedented in its criticism of the project.

While major armed hostilities between the KIO and the Burmese regime have yet tobreak out since Naypyitaw downgraded relations with the KIO to a pre-truce status, the1994 cease-fire agreement appears all but dead. A telling sign of the policy change isthat Burmese state media now refers to the KIO as 'insurgents'.

The letter to China states that the Burmese regime's Northern Command in KachinState recently told the KIO that it will press ahead with 'security concerns and othernecessary procedures will be launched in the above-mentioned six dam projectlocation'. The letter continues, 'Myanmar military troops will not be allowed to invade theKIO area' during the current situation.

The Chinese government has been on friendly terms with the KIO and for decadesChina has allowed the KIO to operate on their border with Burma in exchange foraccess to the natural resources in territory the KIO controls. Analysts, however, pointout that ties between China and the KIO are not as strong as between Beijing and theUnited Wa State Army (UWSA), Burma's largest armed rebel group and the successorto the Burmese Communist Party which controls a large part of Shan State south of theChina-Burma border.

The London-based Financial Times reported in January that according to foreigndiplomats in Beijing, KIO leaders visited Beijing several times last year to hold meetings

with the Chinese government. Given the scale of CPI involvement in the upperIrrawaddy hydro-electric project it is very likely this was one of the key items on theagenda.

KIO's long time opposition to dam

Reached for comment on its letter to China, the KIO deputy chief of foreign affairs,James Lum Dau, told Mizzima, 'We have opposed this dam for a long time'. He addedthat the KIO is not totally opposed to dam construction 'if they are willing to do smallerdams, that would be fine'. He said the size of the Myitsone project and the implications it



has for such a huge number of people living downstream makes the dam totallyunsuitable.

Noting that the Myitsone area is a key part of the Upper Irrawaddy, Burma's largest andmost important river, James Lum Dau added, 'This is not only a matter for the Kachinbut for all the people who live along the river'. James Lum Dau said he and other KIOrepresentatives have told the Chinese government that the Myitsone has implicationsfor 'millions of people' in Burma and therefore should not proceed as planned.

Environmental activists with the Burma Rivers Network, a coalition comprised oforganizations representing various dam-affected communities in Burma and one of itsmembers, the Kachin Development Networking Group, have reported that the creationof the Myitsone's dam's reservoir will flood an area larger than Singapore and willdisplace scores of villages with an estimated population of around 15,000 people whilealso destroying ecologically sensitive areas.

Since reports about the Upper Irrawaddy dam project first surfaced activists and localpeople immediately affected by the dam have urged the KIO to take a stronger stanceagainst the project. The KIO chairman's letter to China clearly indicates that publicpressure has shaped the KIO view of the dam. Urging a rethink of the project, the letterstates, 'We also sense that the livelihood of the local people should be considered in along-term process rather than in a short time'.

National League for Democracy also opposes dam

In addition to the KIO, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy has alsocome out against the dam. In an interview conducted with Mizzima in January, NLDcofounder Win Tin said he worried ramifications of the project would lead to increasedethnic tension in a country wracked by decades of civil war and ethnic conflict. Win Tinsaid he feared Kachin people affected by the project 'may not be able to discern thatthis is a project imposed on them by the SPDC and does not represent the will of themajority of Burma's people'.

CPI's partner in the project, Asia World, is controlled by Stephen Law and his family andaccording to reports the firm will receive a lucrative profit from the dam project. Law'sfather, Lo Sit Han, the chairman of Asia World, has been labeled a 'narco warlord' and

linked to money laundering by the US government.

While the KIO indicated in the letter that they are not totally opposed to the other sixdams set to be constructed on the Upper Irrawaddy, with regards to those dams, it said,'We have also informed Asia World Co. Ltd. to make a decision only after assessing theconsequences of the dam construction'. This suggests they want to see the results of asocial and environmental impact study before plans for the dams move forward.

Majority of electricity generated to go to China



An article in the industry journal Power in Asia published last September said that themassive seven-dam project on the Upper Irrawaddy will generate a combined capacityof 16,500 MW, slightly less than the present 18,200 MW generating capacity of China'shuge Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest dam.

However, the benefits of the dams for Burma appear to be limited to royalties for theBurmese government. According to an article in China's state-controlled Kunming Dailyin October 2008, when the project is finished the 'majority of the electricity' generated bythe dams will be exported to China.

Bomb blasts at dam site raise tensions

On April 17, 2010, a series of at least 10 separate bombs exploded at the MyitsoneDam construction site. The blasts were reported to have injured at least one Chineseworker and destroyed several temporary buildings and vehicles owned by Asia World.

Shortly after the explosions the Burmese regime arrested more than 70 local people.The majority were affiliated with the KIO youth wing, the Education and EconomicDevelopment for Youth. The KIO denied any responsibility for the bombs and eventuallymost of the people jailed in an investigation were freed.

Dam completion not possible without KIO cooperation

As the KIO letter to China points out, previous work on the Myitsone dam projectperformed by CPI and Asia World took place after the Burmese authorities explicitlyasked the KIO for permission to send engineers and other staff to the area controlled bythe KIO. This was made possible by the liaison offices the KIO had established inBurmese regime territory. However, all cooperation between the KIO and the Burmeseregime has ended.

In late 2010, the Burmese regime ordered the closing of most of the KIO liaison officesthroughout the rest of Kachin State and parts of neighboring Shan State, in territory theregime controls or areas in which the KIO has only partial authority. The liaison officeswere established as part of the cease-fire agreement to ensure the truce went smoothlyand to maintain lines of communication.

As the letter noted, 'The upstream areas north of the Mali-Nmai Dam Project are thelocations where KIO military centers are stationed'. Given the strategic location of thearea and the importance it has to the Kachin people, it is unlikely that the KIO will giveup their territory without a fight.

Chinese Dam Workers Allowed to Return The Irrawaddy , June 14, 2011



The Burmese Army has allowed the final 30 Chinese engineers at Tapai hydropowerstation to return home as fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) intensifies.

Seventy Chinese workers and engineers fled the area as soon as hostilitiescommenced, but the last 30 have only just received permission to return to China onTuesday as KIA troops surround the site.

The return was negotiated between Kachin leaders, the Burmese government andChinese authorities as the route over the Sino-Burmese border passes through KIA-held territory.

The Burmese government has brought in additional troops to Bhamo District in KachinState, northern Burma, as serious fighting continues with the Kachin IndependenceArmy (KIA), claim local sources.

More than 20 government trucks have arrived in the area carrying soldiers andprisoners -- the latter to be used as forced labour porters or human minesweepers in thebattlefield, according KIA spokesperson La Na.

He added that the Burmese government has also reinforced its troop placements alonganother route near Laiza -- headquarters of the KIA -- by the Sino-Burmese border.

Residents including government staff in Lwaigyai, also on the same frontier, have fledinto China fearing a major armed conflict. Government troops have set up camp in thearea complete with artillery launchers.

The KIA has also strengthened its frontline positions after the government ignoreddemands to withdraw troops from ethnic Kachin-controlled areas, said La Na. All KIAtroops have been ordered on alert and to prepare the battleground with the destructionof Nam Hpak Hka Bridge a possible tactic, he added.

To hinder government reinforcements, KIA soldiers destroyed a strategic bridge ataround 3a.m. On Tuesday. The bridge was located over Nam Hpak Hka river and wasused by government supply trucks. "Our troops destroyed it because they [governmenttroops] carry ammunition and weapons over this bridge. It stopped them from coming toreinforce their troops," explained La Na.

The bridge leads to Taping River where Burmese and Chinese engineers areconstructing the hydropower dam. All Chinese engineers except the current hostageshave been sent home for their own safety.

KIA soldiers also destroyed a government weapon store in Momauk, Bhamo District,while shelling also decimated a Burmese Army battalion in the area.Residents in Bhamo report than dozens of injured Burmese soldiers are being treated atthe town hospital. Around 30 doctors from Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State, werereportedly asked to transfer to Bhamo, according to KIA sources.



"We heard this morning that some 16 Burmese government soldiers were injured duringMonday's fighting in Momauk," said La Na. He added that two KIA soldiers have beenkilled and one injured since June 10.

Fighting first erupted on Thursday after negotiations broke down over a hostagesituation. The clashes then escalated on June 11 after government troops returned thedead body of the hostage, a captured KIA soldier, to the Kachin army, said La Na.

Seng Aung, a Kachin living in Laiza, headquarters of the KIA, said the tensions finallyturned into violence because that the government wants to gain full control of areasnear Tapai hydropower dam for security reasons.The KIA in turn demanded that the government ceased attacking Kachin forces,stopped its military operations and withdraws its troops from KIA-controlled areas.However, there has so far been no response from Naypyidaw, said La Na. "If they offerus an alternative, we will cooperate with them in order to achieve peace. We alwayskeep the door open for peace," he said.

The KIA signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government in 1994. However,the agreement informally broke down last year after sporadic fighting broke out. The KIAalso refused to transform its battalions into a state militia "border guard force" underBurmese Army command.

Energy projects 'fuelling' border fighting Democratic Voice of Burma , June 16, 2011Francis Wade

The Burmese government's campaign to rout armed ethnic groups along its northernborder has at its heart the goal of securing areas around lucrative China-backedhydropower projects, environmental groups claim.

Two of the main flashpoints over the past week are in southern in Kachin state, wherethe Kachin Independence Army (KIA) controls territory close to the Shweli and Tapingdams. The KIA recently ended a 17-year ceasefire with the Burmese government,sparking heavy fighting on 9 June.

Nine dams financed by Chinese companies are being constructed in Burma'snorthernmost Kachin state, according to Burma Rivers Network. It said that the Tapingfighting follows a warning letter from the KIA that if construction of the controversialMyitsone Dam in Kachin state proceeds, civil war will break out.

"Mega dams in Burma have severe negative social, economic and environmentalimpacts while the majority of electricity generated is exported to neighbouring countriesor used by the military," said BRN. "Most of the dams are located in ethnic states andallow the expansion of Burma Army control into these areas."



The KIA has destroyed several roads and bridges close to hydropower sites, which aredeeply unpopular amongst many civilians who are often the victims of forced relocationsbut who see little reward from the ventures.

Burma's relationship with China to an extent hinges on these energy projects, thusnecessitating the need for the Burmese army to secure territory surrounding them.

Fighting has escalated in Kachin, Shan and Karen states since late last year followingthe refusal of armed groups to assimilate into the Burmese army.In March, central Shan state witnessed several clashes between Burmese troops andthe Shan State Army, whose northern faction also recently ended a 15-year truce withthe government. The epicentre of the fighting was close to the town of Hsipaw, wherethe highly lucrative Shwe gas pipeline will run through en route to China.

Burmese army reinforcements were also sent to the site of the Ywathit Dam in Karennistate, which is being built by China's Datang company. In December last year theKarenni Army, one of the myriad ethnic armed groups operating in Burma's borderregions, attacked a convoy of trucks transporting equipment to the dam, BRN said.

China Urged to Halt New Myanmar Dams Wall Street Journal , July 5, 2011A WSJ Staff Reporter with Aaron Backhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303982504576427753473877610.html

The Kachin conflict: Are Chinese dams to blame? PacNet (Center for Strategic and International Studies), July 8, 2011Yun Sunhttp://csis.org/publication/pacnet-32a-kachin-conflict-are-chinese-dams-blame

China power ignored internal report calling for dam cancellation The Irrawaddy , July 15, 2011Saw Yan Naing

After conducting an assessment, a group of Chinese and Burmese scientists workingfor the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) recommended in an internal reportthat the company cancel its Myitsone Dam project on the Irrawaddy River in northernBurma, but CPI has continued construction of the dam.



The 945 page assessment -- which was obtained by the Burma Rivers Network, anenvironmental organization -- was funded by CPI and conducted between January andMay of 2009.

The CPI Report said that the Myitsone Dam will threaten bio-diverse ecosystems andimpact millions of people that depend on the Irrawaddy River for their livelihoods: "Thefragmentation of the Irrawaddy River by a series of dams will have serious social andenvironmental problems, not only upstream of dams but also very far downstream to thecoastal area," the CPI Report said.

The CPI report concluded that the Myitsone Dam project should not proceed."There is no need for such a big dam to be constructed at the confluence of theIrrawaddy River," the CPI report said.

However, CPI ignored the recommendation by its own assessment team and will goahead with the controversial dam project, said Sai Sai, the coordinator of the BurmaRivers Network.

"Chinese companies are increasing their investments in Burma, yet they are notfollowing their own standards. While CPI is hiding its assessment from the people ofBurma, construction of the dam is speeding ahead," Sai Sai said.

CPI is planning to build and operate seven mega-dams on the Irrawaddy River and itstributaries. Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Friday, Ah Nan, the assistant coordinator ofthe Burma Rivers Network, said, "We call on CPI and the Burmese government toimmediately stop the Myitsone Dam, as it will have a huge negative impact on localpeople." She also called on the Chinese government not to invest in Burma, as armedconflicts are still active and instability prevails in the country.

In June, serious clashes between Burmese government troops and the KachinIndependence Army (KIA), an ethnic Kachin armed group, broke out near the Chinese-run Taping Dam site in Kachin State, northern Burma. Due to the conflict, about 15,000people have been displaced.

Mega-dams in Kachin State and across Burma are deeply unpopular in the country, butnumerous appeals to Chinese companies and the Chinese and Burmese governments

to stop the dams have gone unanswered, said the Burma Rivers Network.

The CPI Report warned that "the majority of local races oppose construction of thedams" and called for consultation with and the consent of affected people. The studyalso recommends a full social impact assessment be conducted along the length of thewhole river, but this has not taken place.

Although completed in late 2009, the CPI Report was never made public.



The River With a Damned Future The Irrawaddy , July 19, 2011Sein Htay

Myitsone, the confluence of Maykha and Malikha rivers around 46 km north ofMyitkyina, is very important not only to the Kachin people, who consider it the birthplaceof their culture, but also for the whole of Burma. It is the source of the Irrawaddy River,which flows through the country from north to south until it reaches the Andaman Sea.The river itself is a vital lifeline that has supported those who live along its length forcenturies.

However, the Burmese government has other plans for the development of Myitsone.Together with China's state-owned Chinese Power Investment Corporation, the newmilitary-backed civilian administration is planning to build the country's largest dam --the 15th largest in the worldÑat Myitsone.The dam will produce hydropower to be sold to China, earning around US $500 millionannually. Once the dam is in operation, the Myitsone area will be totally flooded, and allthe beauty and cultural significance associated with it will be lost forever.

Fearing the immense cultural and environmental impact of this project, including the direconsequences it could have for biodiversity in this relatively unspoiled area, local peopleand civil society groups have been protesting, but to no avail. The government is notlistening.

That is why I decided to return while there was still the chance, as there was no way of

telling whether Myitsone would exist as I remembered it ever again.Although my trip was to enjoy Myitsone's beauty while it lasted, now my heart hasgrown heavy from listening to people's complaints and seeing with my own eyes howthe confluence is already well on its way to destruction.On our travels, we occasionally stopped to discuss the dam with local people and to askwhat they hoped for from the new government formed after last year's election. Mosthad little to say about the latter subject, but were clearly unhappy about the dam andworried about what life would be like in the area where they will be relocated.

I mentioned to my friend how sad it was that the Kachin people were losing an importantpart of their heritage. But he pointed out that this was nothing new. The government has

long exploited Kachin State, giving its people very little in return. And it is not just theBurmese government that is doing all the damage.

"Our state is being hungrily eaten by the Chinese government too," my friend said. Hewent on to explain how Burma's rulers and their cronies collaborate with the Chinesegovernment and their state-owned companies to take teak, gems, gold and electricityout of Kachin State for their own profit, but have done very little for the development ofthe region.



The state's infrastructure is still rudimentary, and even travel to the capital is an ordeal.The train from Mandalay to Myitkyina takes around 24 hours along a rickety track. Itsways and bumps the whole way, forcing you to hold on tight to your seat. Even so,tickets are hard to get, especially for first class seats, which are mostly taken by railwayofficials and the police for sale on the black market.

Travel by bus is even worse. The trip takes around 40 backbreaking hours fromMandalay, and can only be done in the dry season. The only comfortable and reliableway to reach Myitkyina is by air, which is the means of transportation recommended bymost tour companies. But for the vast majority of local people, this option is completelyunaffordable. This lack of proper infrastructure, combined with government restrictions,has done much to discourage travel to the state.

This piece is a summary of a travel article that appears in The Irrawaddy's e-magazine.To read the full version visit:http://issuu.com/irrawaddy/docs/irr_vol.19no2_june2011_issuu/4?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

4. CHINA

Myanmar rebels eye China mediation in clashes Agence France Presse , June 16, 2011www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1135495/1/.html

China's hand in the renewed civil war in Burma The Irrawaddy , June 16, 2011Ba Kaung

The current armed conflict in Burma's northern Kachin State has effectively endednearly two decades of ceasefire between the country's second largest ethnic army, theKachin Independence Army (KIA), and the newly sworn-in Naypyidaw government,bringing a strategic region near the Chinese border to the verge of a civil war.

The gunfire that was exchanged between the KIA and the Burmese army over the pastseven days has claimed only a few casualties on both sides. But, despite concerns thatthe fighting will spread to other areas, no other clashes have been reported in the regionsince midday on Monday.

The past week's conflict is extraordinarily significant because for the first time it hasreignited a civil war in northern Burma which has been in hibernation mode since afragile "gentlemen's" agreement was reached in 1994.



The clashes that broke out last Thursday presented a new challenge in the armedstruggle of Kachin rebels who initially demanded independence in 1961 but later calledfor a federal union.

The new and daunting challenge for the KIA today is its neighbor China. Across KachinState, Chinese state-owned mega-corporations such as China Power Investment andChina Datang are constructing a number of large-scale hydropower dams. And theelectricity from those dams will be exported to China.

KIA spokesperson La Na told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the immediate cause ofthe latest fighting stemmed from the Burmese army's aggressive attempts to controlareas surrounding the hydropower dams, which are located near the Chinese border --areas which have long been under the control of KIA forces, and just a few kilometersaway from China's strategic oil pipeline from the Bay of Bengal to Yunnan Provincewhich passes through central Burma.

La Na said that these massive investments were implemented without the consent ofthe local public or stakeholders such as the KIA, and these economic interests havealready pushed Beijing into becoming an ally of the Burmese army.

"When we approached the Chinese company officials working at these dams, theirresponse is that they already have agreements with Naypyidaw," he said. "China wantsto get resources from Burma. So it seems that their policy is to secure our country'sresources by any means necessary and, in this case, with the connivance of theBurmese authorities."

According to Burma Rivers Network, an independent environmental group, these damshave severe social, economic and environmental impacts. In addition, the majority ofthe power is to be exported to neighboring countries, necessitating the expansion ofBurmese army control in the areas where these dams are being built.

The NGO said in a statement on Wednesday that the latest fighting near the Dapeinand Shweli hydropower dams in northern Burma shows how the build-up of Burmesegovernment troops in the region fuels the conflict and adds to the deep resentmentagainst the widely unpopular dam projects.

Given China's huge investment in the region, it is interesting to question whether theBurmese armed forces tried to dispel the KIA battalions from the areas near theseprojects only after it received explicit approval from Beijing.

The ongoing armed clashes in Kachin State come just a few weeks after BurmesePresident Thein Sein visited Beijing and the two countries announced the establishmentof a strategic relationship. During the visit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo appealed toThein Sein "for the smooth implementation of infrastructure projects, including oil andgas pipelines, hydroelectric power and transportation," according to state news agencyXinhua.



China kept mum on the latest crisis near its border -- unlike during the Burmesegovernment's surprise offensive in 2009 against the small Kokang ethnic militia group innortheastern Shan State. At that time, China reprimanded Naypyidaw for creating"border instability."

On Thursday, only a week later after the fightings, China has called for restraint on bothparties and de-escalation of the tension.

Despite repeated stress on the importance of border stability from both Chinese andBurmese governments, the KIA official said the words lacked sincerity, describing it as"stability forced on the ethnic people by military means."

Asked if China had possibly given a green light to the Burmese army to clear the KIA-controlled areas, Jim Della-Giacoma, the Southeast Asian Director of InternationalCrisis Group, said, "We don't think Beijing would have been caught off-guard by this [thelatest clashes] as they were by the Kokang fighting of August 2009, but their largerinterests remain."

The ICG report last year said that the Kokang conflict and the rise in tensions along theborder prompted Beijing to increasingly view Burma's ethnic groups as a liability ratherthan a means of strategic leverage. It also said that the ethnic groups view China'ssupport for them as provisional and driven by its own economic and security interests.

According to Dr. Zarni, a Burmese research fellow at the London School of Economics,the Burmese generals' insensitivity to the survival needs of local communities hasresulted in the rise in military tensions with respective armed organizations.

"The ruling military class in Naypyidaw has condemned the Burmese people to slavery,and has colonized the ethnic groups with their other hand," he said. "Now this rulingclass is fulfilling the wishes of the Chinese government, and what they want in return isChina's political protection on the international stage."

Della-Giacoma described the current break in hostilities in Kachin State as "the lullbefore the storm." "We are not yet at a point of full resumption of conflict in Kachin, but ifthe Myanmar government doesn't move quickly to create space for a de-escalation,that's where this is headed," he said.

Despite the presumed incentive of economic interests and the China factor, the coremajor cause of this conflict, the KIA official said, is the Burmese army's attempt tosubjugate the KIA under central command -- a move the KIA has rejected, just as manyother armed ethnic groups have done.

Added to the Kachins' resentment toward Naypyidaw is that three Kachin politicalparties that tried to run in the parliamentary elections last year were banned from doingso on the grounds that their leaders were linked with the Kachin IndependenceOrganization, the KIA's political wing.



La Na said the KIA had lost trust in the Burmese government and will not accept anypeace talks inside the country. He said that KIA wants a neighboring country to host adialogue between it and the Burmese government, so that Naypyidaw can be heldaccountable. "Our major goal is for a genuine federal union. We don't seekindependence," he said.

Regarding the Chinese hydropower projects in Kachin State being included in anypeace talks, the official said that although the KIA clearly rejects the Myitsone Damproject, which is not near KIA military bases, it is not in opposition to other dam projectsin Kachin State.

"We wanted to have a say in these projects and make sure that the revenue from thesedams benefits Kachin people too," he said, adding that the apparent immediateobjective of the Burmese army attack is to completely control full and direct access toChina. He said he does not rule out a large-scale major offensive by the Burmese armyin the coming days. "It depends only on the Burmese government," La Na said. "Wehave prepared a broad defensive military position, just in case.

"But we know that real victims of war will be the people of the region," he added. "That'swhy we are not conducting military attacks in any other area except to destroy bridgesto deter the Burmese army tanks coming in."

KIA Captures Six Govt Soldiers, as KIO Asks Beijing to Mediate The Irrawaddy , June 16, 2011Wai Moe

Six government soldiers were captured by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) duringarmed conflict in Shan State on Thursday, while two days ago the armed group'spolitical wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), sent a letter to Beijingrequesting it to act as a "mediator" between the Burmese regime and ethnic groups, aKachin commander said.

The KIA's vice chief-of-staff, Brig-Gen Sumlut Gun Maw, told The Irrawaddy onThursday: "Kachin troops under KIA Brigade 4 in northern Shan State captured six

[government] soldiers, including one officer, during today's skirmish."

"Regarding the letter to Beijing, I want to say that we attempted to achieve peace withthe government bilaterally. However, it achieved no solid result, even after a 16-yearceasefire, so this time we want [Beijing] to be involved in the peace process as amediator. That's why we sent the letter two days ago," he said.

The KIA official said that conflicts in Kachin State could create greater instability innorthern Burma unless the regime in Naypyidaw commits itself to finding a peaceful



On Thursday, Chinese authorities made their first public statement on the Kachinconflict. "We are paying attention to the situation in Myanmar [Burma] near the borderarea. We urge the two parties to exercise restraint and prevent the escalation of thesituation, and resolve the relevant disputes through peaceful negotiations," ChineseForeign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a news conference in Beijing.

Hong said China was giving humanitarian help to residents from Burma who had fled,but he gave no details on their number or condition. So far, it appears that most civiliansfleeing the conflict have remained inside Burma, although that could change, accordingto the KIO's joint-secretary, La Nan."Our statistics show that more than 10,000 refugees have come here to flee the fighting.Some could cross into China," he said, speaking to The Irrawaddy from the KIO'sheadquarters in Laiza on Thursday.

Residents of Myitkyina have also been uneasy, amid rumors that fighting could spreadto the town. "People here are worried that there could be fighting here," said Soe, astudent in her early 20s who lives in Myitkyina. "I hope the situation will be resolvedpeacefully."

As of Thursday, Burmese state-run media have been silent on the conflict. Journalistsfor privately owned publications based in Rangoon have also not begun to report on thesituation in Kachin State.

Burma (Myanmar) border conflict threatens to complicate ties with China Christian Science Monitor , June 21, 2011Simon Montlakewww.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0621/Burma-Myanmar-border-conflict-threatens-to-complicate-ties-with-China

Kachin Conflict Intertwined with Chinese Interests The Irrawaddy , June 24, 2011Htet Aung

Due to the reemergence of armed conflict between government troops and the KachinIndependence Army (KIA) in Burma's northern Kachin State, the region has once againbecome unstable after an era of relative calm during the 17-year-long ceasefirebetween the opposing armies.

With respect to the number of casualties, the intensity of the battles could be called low.But with respect to their current and potential future impact on the region, the armedconflicts are huge. Already, more than 10,000 local residents have sought refuge nearthe China-Burma border area; a hydro-power dam project on the Taping River has been



shut down, resulting in 215 Chinese engineers and workers fleeing back to China; andborder trade has slowed, affecting the local economy.

If the war spreads into other parts of Kachin State, even more Chinese companiesinvolved in natural resource extraction will have to leave their multimillion dollarinvestments unprotected on the battlefield. In addition, the unknown numbers ofChinese workers who have migrated to Kachin State, and are occupying jobs that couldhave been taken up by local residents, will have to flee as their countrymen in the northrecently did.

Unlike the pre-ceasefire armed conflicts in Kachin State, in which the government's onemilitary ambition was to occupy the territory controlled by ethnic armed groups in orderto spread the military regime's authority in the border region, the current conflicts areintertwined with the protection of China's economic interests in the area.

Kachin State is rich in natural resources, particularly water resources, and China hasinvested in at least nine major hydro-power projects, including one of the two dams onthe Taping River in the conflict area. Most of the jobs on these projects are being givento Chinese workers, and most of the combined 12,000 megawatts of electricity thatEarthright International estimates will be generated by the dams will be exported toChina.

In addition, projects such as the Myitsone Dam, currently being constructed on theIrrawaddy Confluence, carry with them enormous environmental concerns and willdisplace thousands of local residents.

In March, the KIA sent a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao requesting a halt in theconstruction of the Myitsone dam, which is being financed by China Power InvestmentCo. Ltd. In the letter, the KIA said that if the dam construction continues, a civil warcould be resumed.

Unsurprisingly, and in line with the past practice of the former military regime, Burma'snew government has blamed the KIA for all the recent armed clashes and accused theethnic armed group of attempting to destroy Chinese interests in their area.

"[The] KIA based in Kachin State is committing deterrence to development projects of

Kachin State, disturbing the tasks and posing threats to Chinese staff who are workingat hydropower projects," reported the state-run New Light of Myanmar on June 18."[the] KIA members disturbed and threatened Chinese experts and employees assignedto the project, [the Burmese] authorities warned them not to cause hindrances to theproject," the newspaper said.

Lahpai Nawdin, the editor of the Thailand-based Kachin News Group, said that it waspredictable that China's increased investments and the expansion of the dam projectswithin and close to the KIA-controlled area would trigger renewed conflict between theKIA and the Burmese army.



One question being debated is whether Burma's President Thein Sein and his newgovernment solicited and received China's support to eliminate the KIA.

After the ceasefire agreement between the KIA and the former Burmese military juntawas put into effect in the early 1990s, the KIA leaders made efforts to build up urbanareas like Laiza and Maijayang with their own resources, and to facilitate the growth ofthe border economy, said Aung Thu Nyein, a PhD candidate at the National Institute ofDevelopment Administration in Thailand and a senior researcher at the BahuDevelopment Research Institute based in Thailand.

He said the KIA leaders were proud of their accomplishments, and expected that theBurmese government would give them proper credit and respect for these efforts. Butnow, everything is back to square one after the government once again labeled the KIAan "insurgent group," which tarnished their image.

KIA spokesperson Colonel James Lum Dau agreed, telling The Irrawaddy that: "Thecharacteristic of an insurgent group is to kill people, rob their property, burn down theirhouses and destroy everything. We don't do these things; they are not our policy."

Asked whether China's growing business ties with the Naypyidaw government and theirinvestments in Kachin State could be a threat to the KIA, James Lum Dau said thatChinese leaders know clearly what happened in Kachin State, and based on the recentconflicts, they know the importance of including all the stakeholders, including the KIA,in attempts to bring peace to the state.

With the armed conflict in Kachin State serving as a case study for how much progressthe new government has made towards democracy and reconciliation as compared tothe previous military junta, it seems that Burma has at best gone nowhere, and at worstgone backwards. The leadership of President Thein Sein, who pledged to "give toppriority to national unity" during his inaugural speech to the new Parliament, can be

justly called into question. And apparently the new Kachin State Parliament and regionalgovernment, headed by a chief minister, has absolutely no role or voice in tacklinginstability in their state.

Aung Thu Nyein said that if the new government does not change its mindset, moreproblems will lie ahead in Burma's ethnic states. He said that if the new government is

not willing give both opportunity and the authority to the leaders of ethnic states in orderto provide them with a sense of ownership in developing their own areas ofadministration, the country's prospects as a whole have a dim future.

KIA doubts Burmese army will attack through China The Irrawaddy , June 28, 2011Ba Kaung



Kachin Independence Army (KIA) leaders said on Monday that they do not believe theChinese government would allow the Burmese army to launch offensives against theKIA headquarters in Laiza, Kachin State from Chinese territory.

In an interview with The Irrawaddy in Laiza, the KIA's deputy military chief, Gen. GunMaw, said that the Burmese army might have asked the Chinese government for suchhelp during a recent meeting of Chinese and Burmese government officials in MungshiCity, Yunnan Province.

But while not completely ruling out the scenario of China-based attacks by the Burmesearmy, he did not believe the Chinese government would allow such a move because itwould have a substantial negative impact on border stability.

Gun Maw said that one reason he doubts the Chinese government will let the Burmesearmy use the main trading route between Laiza and Yunnan Province to launch militaryoffensives against the KIA is the fact that an estimated 300,000 Kachin people are livingon the Chinese side of the border.

"If the Burmese army wants to attack us from China, they can do so without the Chinesegovernment's permission. They can use the border pass cards to send commandos,"said Gun Maw. "But I think the Chinese government will not want to have problems withthe Kachin community in China."

Ringed by rugged mountains, Laiza used to serve as one of the main trading pointsbetween Burma and China before the KIA and the Burmese army became engaged indeadly clashes more than two weeks ago. The current conflict has been centeredmainly on control of Momauk Township, Kachin State, where the Chinese governmenthas built hydropower plants.

Since the fighting began, the previously busy road between Laiza and Yunnan Provincehas been mostly silent. Gun Maw said that if the Burmese army troops tried to enterLaiza using this road, it would find itself in "a killing field."

"We have spread out our defenses all over the area," Gun Maw said, adding that he hasreceived information that the Burmese government is now preparing to launch majoroffensives against Laiza and the KIA-controlled areas of Momauk Township.

Although the Burmese government claimed that its attacks against the KIA were aimedat establishing the security of China-built dams in Momauk Township, KIA officials,including Gun Maw, viewed the move as having a broader military purpose. "TheBurmese army wants to cut off the logistics line between our troops in Kachin State andShan State and weaken our position," Gun Maw said.

Col. Zau Raw is the KIA military commander overseeing the hundreds of KIA troops inKukai, Thipaw and Theindi townships in Shan StateÑthe townships where China's



strategic oil pipeline will pass through on its way from the Bay of Bengal to YunnanProvince.

Asked what actions the KIA would take if the Burmese army launched attacks againsthis troops on the pretense of providing security for the pipeline, Zau Raw said, "We willlaunch guerilla warfare. We have already obtained an abundance of small rockets withwhich we successfully resisted the Burmese army attacks in Momauk."

Following the interview with Zau Raw on Monday, the Burmese army sent reinforcementtroops to Kukai and Theindi Townships in Shan State. On Tuesday, Zau Raw said thereinforcement troops were coming in small groups dressed in civilian clothes. "Allindications are that we are in for a major war," he said.

The recent fighting has effectively ended the 17-year ceasefire between the KIA and theBurmese military. The conflict flared after tension built up over the government'sdemand that the KIA join its Border Guard Force, which has the aim of placing the KIAand other ethnic armed groups under the central command of the Burmese army.

The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of the KIA, has rejecteda recent ceasefire offer by intermediaries representing the Burmese government, andthrough those intermediaries has asked the government for formal evidence stating thatit wishes to end hostilities.

Although in the aftermath of the fighting the Chinese government called for the Burmesegovernment and the KIA to show restraint, KIA officials described communicationbetween KIA and Chinese government officials as being virtually inactive.

However, they would like the Chinese government to host a dialogue between theBurmese government and the KIA in order to hold the government accountable for anydeals reached.

Meanwhile, an armed clash broke out in Hpakant Township, Kachin State at 3 pmMonday between KIA troops and the Burmese army. KIA officials said that their troopsdid not suffer any casualties, whereas the Burmese army lost three of its soldiers in thefighting.

5. BATTLE REPORTS

Overnight Clash in Kachin State The Irrawaddy , June 9, 2011Saw Yan Naing



Tensions finally snapped in Kachin State on Thursday when fighting broke out betweenBurmese government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in MomaukTownship, according to Kachin sources.

Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Thursday, Seng Aung, a local resident of Laiza, theKIA headquarters near the Sino-Burmese border, said that an armed clash broke outbefore at 2 am on Thursday and continued until noon.

"It is like the government troops are intimidating the KIA," he said. "They want to test theKachin army because it had previously warned them not to cross into its area."

Seng Aung said the fighting involved KIA Brigade 3's Battalion 15 and BurmeseBattalion 437. Causalities are as yet unknown, but both sides have suffered losses, hesaid.

Momauk Township lies under the control of KIA Brigade 3 where tension between thegovernment and KIA troops had been rising for months, said a source close to the KIA.

On Feb. 7, an armed clash between government troops and the KIA occurred justsoutheast of Bhamo, another area that is under the control of KIA Brigade 3. Kachinsources claim that one Burmese battalion commander was killed.

Although the Kachins had signed a ceasefire with the Burmese government in 1994,tensions had been mounting since last year when the KIA rejected Naypyidaw's borderguard force (BGF) order.

"Becoming a BGF means submitting yourself to the total control of the government,"said Col. James Lun Dau, a KIO central committee member.

On Oct. 18 2010, an office of the KIA's political wing, the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO), was raided by government troops who arrested two KIO officials. Afew days later, the regime's state-run media The New Light of Myanmar referred to theKIA as "insurgents" for the first time in years, and the long-held but fragile ceasefire wasall but declared broken.

In September, the KIA troops also fired at a helicopter owned by the government-friendly Htoo Group of Companies while it flew over KIO headquarters in Laiza,according to Kachin sources.

[second part of article, about Karen situation, edited out here.]

Battles in Kachin State continue US Campaign for Burma , June 13, 2011



Battles in Kachin State continue; Kachin Independence Army (KIA) issues an order toits troops to launch full-scale resistance war; 28 Chinese engineers become hostages

Kachin Independence Army Issues an Order to Its Troops to Launch Full-ScaleResistance War against the Burmese Regime Attack

Today, Kachin Independent Army (KIA) issued an order to all of its forces to launch full-scale resistance war against the attack made by the Burmese military regime's troopsas its ultimatum to the regime to hold a peaceful dialogue was not responded by 12:00PM, said Major General Gwan Maw, Vice Chief of Staff of the KIA, armed wing of theKachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Chronology of Battles

Earlier this month, the regime's Northern Military Command, based in Myitkyina, sent anorder to the KIA, stating that KIA troops (the 15th Battalion) at Sang Gang Post, nearMomauk Township, in Bhamo District, should be removed completely by 12:00 PM onJune 11, 2011. The area is near the Ta Pein (Taping) River, where two hydropowerplant projects are being constructed by China Datang Corporation (CDT). These powerplants are located on the Bhamo-Myitkyina Highway and electricity will be transported toChina through the Highway. Therefore, the regime asked the KIA to move away fromthat area. However, KIA refused to move away as the area is a strategic location forKIA, only 60 miles away from Laiza, KIO/KIA Headquarters. The area is also linkedbetween the KIA's 3rd Brigade Command at Maijayang and the General Headquartersat Laiza.

On June 8, 2011, a group of Burmese soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 437entered into the area secretly to gather intelligence. KIA arrested them, two officials andone private, for entering its controlled area without permission. The regime demandedto transfer its soldiers back, but KIA refused and urged the regime troops to withdrawfrom the area. The regime arrested one KIA official, stationed in its liaison office inMyitkyina.

On June 9, 2011, early morning at 7:00 AM, more than 500 regime troops marched intoSang Gang Post and stared shooting at KIA troops. KIA shot back and fighting lastedabout three hours. At least three Burmese soldiers were killed and six injured in the

fighting. However, only two KIA were injured, a KIA officer in the frontline said. Duringthe fight, the KIA captured three more Burmese soldiers.

After the battle, a negotiation was made between the both sides. Major General Zay YarAung, Commander of the Northern Military Command, promised that if KIA releases allBurmese soldiers they have captured, the regime would also release the one they havedetained, and Burmese troops will withdraw from the area. As per agreement, KIAreturned six Burmese soldiers, including Captain Myat Ko Ko, to the regime. But, theregime returned the dead body of Lance-Corporal Sau Ying, whose was apparentlykilled by severe beating and torture. The regime said he was killed during the fight.



Heavy fighting continued on June 11, after the deadline by the regime to the KIA troopsto withdraw from the area by 12:00 PM was passed. Around 4:00 PM. The regime'stroops launched attack against KIA troops and severe fighting and artillery shellingcontinued two consecutive days until June 12. The KIO closed its last remaining liaisonoffice in Myitkyina. KIO also shut down its own company, Buga Company, which wasoperating in Myitkyina, supplying essential electricity to the towns of Myitkyina andWaingmaw since late 2006.

On June 12, KIO Central Committee held an emergency meeting in its LaizaHeadquarters and sent a letter to Major General Zay Yar Aung, Commander of theNorthern Military Command. In the letter, KIO reiterated that it will not withdraw its troopfrom the area and asked the Commander to solve the problem by peaceful means. KIOwarned that such an aggressive act can spread to the full-scale civil war all over thecountry.

On June 13, a minister from the Thein Sein's government contacted the KIO leadersand asked for negotiation. KIO agreed to talk as soon as possible and asked the regimeto respond by 12:00 PM. The minister insisted that the KIO first removes its forces fromthe area. Then the minister failed to contact the KIO at 12:00 PM. As the deadline waspassed, the KIO decided to alert all of its forces at the highest level and ordered them tolaunch full-scale resistant war.

Refugees

As of this writing, more than 2,000 villagers from the conflict area fled to China-Burma

border.

Forced Labor, Forced Confiscation of Private Vehicles

As the regime has tried to reinforce its troops to the conflict area, people in Bhamo,Waing Maw, and Myitkyina Townships are forcibly recruited to carry the weapons andammunitions for the Burmese troops. Plenty of private vehicles are also forced to drivefor the regime's troops.

Chinese Engineers

About 28 Chinese engineers and workers from the hydro power plants are not allowedto return China by the Burmese troops. They are now like hostages, making the KIAtroops to be extremely careful not to hurt them during the fight. KIA has requested theseChinese technicians to leave the country since a week ago.

Ethnic Alliance

Four ethnic resistance groups pledge to join the fight against the Burmese troops, saidBrigadier General Gwan Maw.



Sources: Kachin News Group http://www.kachinnews.com/ Radio Free Asia Burmese Service BroadcastRadio Free Asia Burmese Service's Interview with Brigadier General Gwan Maw, ViceChief of Staff, KIACivil-Military Observers from China-Burma border

Nam Hpak Hka suspension bridge immobilized by Kachin armed group Mizzima , June 14, 2011Phanida

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on Tuesday used mines to damage the NamHpak Hka suspension bridge, making it unusable to government military vehicles in theMomauk Township area. The bridge can still be crossed by foot.

Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) central committee member La Nang said KIABattalion 15 of Brigade No. 3 immobilized the 100-feet long, single-track suspensionbridge located on the road to the Taping hydropower plant on the early morning ofTuesday.

'We damaged the Nam Hpak Hka bridge used for transporting food to the Tapinghydropower plant at around 3:30 a.m. Large cars and military trucks cannot pass overthe bridge anymore, and the government cannot send reinforcements', La Nang toldMizzima.

Trucks and cars that sought to travel from Momauk, a government-controlled area, orSang Gang to the Taping hydropower plant had to pass over the bridge.

Government and KIA troops began firing mortar rounds on Saturday around Htonebo, aKIA stronghold at Bumsen. On Monday evening, both sides stopped firing.

La Nang said that the government troops could not overrun the Htonebo stronghold.'They can not seize it', he said. 'But, it's a low area. So the government troops firedmortar rounds into it. That's why our troops moved to a higher hill. The lower area is not

our stronghold. Our frontline troops went there to resist the government's attack, but ourtroops then moved back to higher ground'.

Meanwhile, the Chinese hydropower company made an attempt to remove 30 Chineseemployees from the area but government troops would not allow them to evacuate.

'The Chinese employees were not allowed to go back', La Nang said. 'They are held ashostages. The government troops used them as human shields. They may think that ifthey use Chinese people, the KIA will not fire. We heard that the government troopsordered Chinese women to cook for them'.



Within the past three days, Burmese troops fired an estimated 1,000 mortar rounds (81and 120 millimeter mortar shells) into the KIA areas, according to the KIA.

Bauk Ja says government troops suffer heavy casualties in fight with KIA Mizzima , June 14, 2011Myo Thant

A Burmese tactical operation commander is among the dead and heavy casualties inthe fighting with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), according to Bauk Ja, anunsuccessful electoral candidate in Hpakant Township with the National DemocraticForce.

She said that more than 100 Burmese soldiers have died in the fighting. Three Kachinsoldiers have died and one soldier was injured, Bauk Ja said.'The tactical operation commander died few days ago. The new tactical operationcommander was seriously injured', she said.

Burmese soldiers injured in the fighting in Momauk and Bhamo were sent to localhospitals, but there were not enough doctors in the hospitals so the authorities ordereddoctors in Myitkyina to go to the hospitals in Momauk and Bhamo, according to BaukJa. 'I heard that there were more than 3,000 war refugees. Some fled to China andsome are missing in no-man's-land. Others fled to Laiza', she said.

KIO destroys 10 bridges and capture and arrest six Mizzima , June 16, 2011Phanida

The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) said that they have destroyed 10 bridgesso far to prevent heavy weapons moving closer to their front lines, captured threegovernment soldiers including a lieutenant and arrested three civilians.

'We have destroyed about 10 bridges but we destroyed only the bridges which wereused by government troops in their offensives. This is a normal military tactic', KIOLieutenant Colonel Yaw Htone told Mizzima.

The KIO has destroyed wooden bridges, concrete bridges and suspension bridges inPhakant, Moemouk and Waimaw townships in Kachin State.

KIO central committee member La Nan said that the KIO arrested Lieutenant ThihaNaing a.k.a. Thet Naing Aung; Private Tun Zaw and Private Phyo Wei Aung of the LightInfantry Battalion No. 342 at near Pan Wah village in Namtu Township, Shan State, on



Thursday. Three civilians found with the soldiers were also arrested and detained, hesaid.

The bridges destroyed are the Nam Phat Kha stream suspension bridge connecting theTapein hydroelectric dam in Moemauk Township; Mayanchaung bridge in Waimaw; Malistream bridge on Waimaw-Laiza highway; Lanna stream bridge on Waimaw-Kampaitihighway; Namsar stream bridge on Tamoenye-Monsi highway in Shan State' bridge onPhankant-Karmine-Lonekhinhighway; a bridge connecting Hopin and Namma villageson the Phakant-Gyikha highway; Namsam stream concrete bridge connectingWarazwap-Bangkok villages; the Namsamkha wooden bridge near Namsam villagebetween Warazwap and Bangkok villages; and the Maykha River suspension bridge, 59miles south of Chibwe Township.

Military analysts said that some earlier destruction of bridges had only limited results.

KIO and local residents said that there was a small clash between KIA and governmenttroops about two miles from Manhsi village in Moemauk Township on Wednesday night.

Local residents said that the Burmese authorities are giving military training to convictsin Bhamo Township where minor clashes have occured. Also firefighters, policemenand people's militia members are being provided military training in Myitkyina, thecapital city of Kachin State.

Bridges destroyed:1. Nam Phat Kha suspension bridge connecting Tapein hydroelectric dams in MoemaukTownship2. Mayan Stream bridge in Waimaw Township3. Mali stream bridge on Waimaw-Laiza highway4. Lanna stream bridge on Waimaw-Kampaiti highway5. Namsar stream bridge on Tarmonye-Monsi road in Shan State6. Bridge connecting Karmi and Lonekhin in Phakant Township7. Bridge between Hopin and Nammon village on Phakant-Gwikhar road8. Namsan stream concrete bridge between Warazwap and Bangkok villages9. Namsankha stream wooden bridge near Namsan village between Warazwap andBangkok villages10. Maykha River suspension bridge, 59 miles south of Chibwe Town

Fighting Continues in Northern Burma as Govt Reinforce Troops: KIA The Irrawaddy , June 20, 2011Ba Kaung

Armed clashes that started near Burma's northern border with China more than a weekago continued through the weekend and show no signs of ending, according to aspokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) who said that the government



army is sending reinforcements to the area.There were no reports of casualties on either side during the exchanges of fire that tookplace in Moe Hnyin Township of Kachin State during the weekend.

But the KIA spokesperson, Lan Nan, said that KIA troops destroyed a Burmeseintelligence outpost in Bamaw Township on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River at 2am on Sunday as part of its preparations for its defense against major offensives by theBurmese army. He added that the Burmese army had already reinforced its troops overthe weekend and did not rule out the possibility of major fighting in coming days. TheIrrawaddy was not able to independently confirm this report.

The current armed conflict in Burma's northern Kachin State has ended a nearly two-decade-old ceasefire between the country's second largest ethnic army, the KIA, andthe Burmese government, bringing a strategic region near the Chinese border to theverge of a civil war. The armed clashes occurred just two months after a new, nominallycivilian government came into office in Naypyidaw.

The fighting over the weekend followed the Burmese government's announcement instate-run media on Saturday that the objective of its military operations is to establishthe security of a hydropower plant on the Tapaing river in Kachin State near theChinese border. Built by a Chinese state-owned company a few years ago, the plant islocated in Momauk Township, where KIA troops have been active for decades. All of theelectricity generated by the plant is beingexported to China.

According to Burmese state media, more than 200 Chinese workers have returned

home from Burma since the fighting started and the plant has ceased to operate sincelast Tuesday, causing a great loss to "the country and the people."

The KIA spokesperson said that one of the main reasons behind the recent fighting wasthat the government did not abide by agreements made with KIA when the plant wasbuilt, one of which was that electricity generated from the hydropower plants must beshared with local people.

"This electricity is now going to China, not the people as we've agreed," he said."Second, we agreed to jointly take care of security along the roads between China andBurma in this region. Now we were told to leave these areas, but we can't because we

have lived here since a long time ago."Further deadly fighting could occur at any time, since the KIA troops remain firmly inplace near the hydropower plant and a road that would give the Burmese army directaccess to China. The areas are also only a few kilometers away from the route ofChina's strategic oil pipeline being built from the Bay of Bengal to Yunnan Provincethrough central Burma.

The fighting, which started on June 9, has killed three KIA soldiers, but the exactcasualty figure for the Burmese army remains unknown.



On Friday, the Burmese government sent four local Kachin leaders as intermediaries tothe town of Laiza, where the KIA has its headquarters, with the message thatNaypyidaw wanted to call a ceasefire and end hostilities against the KIA and that it hadordered its front-line troops to stop firing on Kachin rebels two days ago.

The leaders of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the KIA's political wing, didnot accept the ceasefire. Through the government's intermediaries, it said that it wantedevidence that the Burmese army has formally accepted a ceasefire. Since then, therehas been no contact between the two sides. The Chinese government, which has built anumber of hydropower dams in Kachin State, has called for restraint on both sides.China's ambassador in Rangoon met with the Burmese foreign and border affairsministers on Friday, according to the Burmese state-run media, which did not give anyfurther details of the discussion.

"I think that China certainly knew that this offensive against the KIA was coming, but Idon't think Beijing or Yunnan would accept a return to all-out war in the border areas,and the consequent refugee flows," said Joshua Kurlantzick, a fellow at the Council onForeign Relations, who is a frequent commentator on Burmese politics for ForeignPolicy and Foreign Affairs magazines, in a recent interview with The Irrawaddy.

Rights groups have pointed out that the dam projects in Kachin and other ethnic areaswill have a major negative social and environmental impact, and were done without theconsent of or proper compensation for local people.According to KIA officials, the group is not totally opposed to development projects,including the construction of hydropower dams. It has, however, spoken out against the

massive, Chinese-built Myitsone dam project near the state capital of Myitkyina,because of the enormous damage it is expected to cause. One of the group's maindemands, they said, is that the projects benefit local people, and not just serve as asource of revenue for Naypyidaw.

In May, the KIA sent a letter to the Chinese government, formally objecting to theMyitsone dam project and warning that local resentment against the project could sparka civil war. "The tension remains high in many areas," said the KIA spokesperson.Despite these tensions, however, KIA officials held a small celebration at theirheadquarters in Laiza on Sunday to mark the birthday of pro-democracy leader AungSan Suu Kyi, who said that her birthday wish was peace in the country.

Myanmar fighting flares after peace talks fail Reuters , June 20, 2011Martin Pettywww.reuters.com/article/2011/06/20/myanmar-china-idUSL3E7HK0YN20110620



KIA Launches Targeted Urban Attacks The Irrawaddy , June 22, 2011Saw Yan Naing

Although fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burmesegovernment troops in Kachin State has diminished in recent days, tension remains andthe KIA continues to launch targeted attacks in urban areas, according to local sources.

On Tuesday night, two bombs went off at government's buildings -- a police station andan immigration office -- in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State in northern Burma. Apolice official at Police Station No. 1 in Myitkyina confirmed the explosion, but said therewere no casualties. He said he believed the KIA was behind the plot.

La Nan, the joint-secretary of the KIA's political wing, the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO), said that the bomb attacks were launched by the KIA in accordancewith its policy of choosing targets where civilians would not be injured.

"The bombs went off at an immigration office and at Police Station No. 1, and no civilianwas hurt. We attacked in places where we should attack. We only target thegovernment's important sectors," said La Nan.

Seng Aung, a Kachin youth living in Laiza, the KIA's headquarters on the Sino-Burmaborder, said that there was also an explosion last night at a bridge near Baw Hpum Yan,which is located on the route from Bhamo to Myitkyina.

In addition, the Thailand-based Kachin News Group reported that on Tuesday atmidnight the KIA used mines to blow up a strategic railway bridge located on theNamkoi River between Myitkyina and Mandalay. The KIA targeted the railway becauseit is the main route used by the government to send reinforcements and supplies toKachin State.

The KIA said it has not had any contact with the government following their last talks onJune 19, and despite the fact that skirmishes between government troops and the KIAhave died down for now, the KIA has not called a cease fire. "We haven't ordered ourtroops at the frontline to cease fire with the government troops," said La Nan.

Meanwhile, on June 18-19, the KIA released 18 government soldiers that it arrested anddetained during fighting with the government troops. Some villagers in MaijayangVillage, Momauk Township who fled home recently returned home two days ago andrecommenced farming, said La Aung, a resident of Maijayang. He said the situation hasbecome more stable, but many villagers are still seeking refuge in Laiza.

Some 10,000 Kachin people previously fled their homes and sought refuge in Laiza andother locations on the Sino-Burma border due to the hostilities that first broke outbetween the government and the KIA troops in northern Burma on June 9.



Bombs destroy bridge on Myitkyina-Mandalay railway Mizzima , June 22, 2011Phanida

The latest bombing of a bridge in Kachin State on Tuesday destroyed the PanechaungBridge on the Myitkyina-Mandalay railway near Namtee Village in Kachin State,residents said. It is the only rail link to Myitkyina.

According to a government report on Saturday, the KIA has destroyed 25 bridges duringthe most recent fighting.

On Tuesday at around 2:30 a.m., mines were detonated which severely damaged the 8-foot-wide by 50-foot long bridge, which is located 32 miles from Myitkyina. The ironframe of the bridge fell down and the brick platform was damaged, according to a localresident who contacted Mizzima by telephone.

Rail passengers from both sides of the bridge must cross the stream by other meansand then take another train on the opposite side of the bridge.Railway workers said the bridge might be back in service by Thursday, according to onelocal resident.

Meanwhile, because of the renewed fighting between the Kachin Independence Army(KIA) and government troops, local authorities have collected 2,000 kyat (about US$2.50) per family from nearby houses to give to security guards posted in the area. If afamily cannot pay the money, they are required to send someone to work as a securityguard for three days.

Residents said there are many government guards and police posted around schools,bridges and office buildings in Namtee.

In other bombings, on Tuesday night two bombs exploded about 10 p.m. in Myitkyina.The blasts hit Myitkyina Police Station No. 1 and in front of an immigration office,according to residents. There were no reported casualties.

The KIA claimed responsibility for the bomb at the police station, according to KIOcentral committee member and joint secretary La Nang. He said that the KIA was nottargeting civilians.

Similarly, on June 20 the KIA made hand grenade attacks on a police station in MyomaQuarter in Hpakant and a police station in Lonekhin village. There were no reportedcasualties.

On Sunday, the KIA made a hand grenade attack on a Military Affairs Security office inNamsanyung Village on the Myitkyina-Bhamo Road.



Kachin and other refugees are still arriving at KIA headquarters in Laiza, according tothe KIA.

Meanwhile, a rumour is circulating in Myitkyina that Lasang Aung Wa, a leader of a KIObreakaway group that transformed itself into a people's militia, is under house arrest.The information has not been confirmed.

On the refugee front, 80 people have reportedly taken refuge in Zilun Church inMyitkyina; 60 in Takkon Church and about 100 in Waimaw, according to a local pastor.

Security has been tightened around Takkon Quarter in Myitkyina, according toresidents.

Burmese government, KIO continue fighting in Kachin State Mizzima , June 24, 2011

Fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Battalion No. 7 and theBurmese government Infantry 139 unit took place on Wednesday in Mali-HkrangWalawng in Putao Township in Kachin State. The number of causalities was not known.

In addition, on Thursday morning a small clash took place between government troopsand Kachin troops in the same area.

There were also small clashes in Momauk, Putao, Waimaw and Tanyungzup villageslocated around 20 miles from Tanphaye village, the location of the Myitsone damproject.

The government has increased its troop levels in Myitkyina and Bhamo, according to LaNang, a KIA spokesperson.

The KIA said that it released two Burmese soldiers, including Thiha Naing aka ThetNaing Aung of the Infantry 342 unit on June 16, in addition to three civilians on June 19.

In addition, on June 18 the KIA released eight civilians who were arrested on June 9during the fighting because they were suspected of being government informers.

===

Kachin army ambush leaves 30 dead Democratic Voice of Burma , July 8, 2011

Around 30 Burmese troops are presumed dead after an ambush by the KachinIndependence Army (KIA) on a convoy in Kachin state's Momauk township yesterdayafternoon.



Two trucks carrying government soldiers along the Bhamo-to-Myitkyina highway weredamaged in the attack; one of the two carrying more than two dozen troops was blownto pieces, according to the spokesperson of the KIA's political wing, the KachinIndependence Organisation (KIO).

The attack came as government representatives were holding talks with the KIA at itsheadquarters in Laiza. The two sides have been engaged in heavy fighting over thepast two months in various regions of Kachin state, forcing the displacement of some20,000 people.

Government newspapers yesterday reported that the KIA had destroyed a number ofroads and bridges in Kachin state.

The reasons behind the outbreak in violence focus largely on attempts by Naypyidaw togain control over swathes of Kachin state and neighbouring Shan state, where the KIAhas territory. The campaign has also been taken to Karen and Karenni state borderingThailand, where various insurgent groups are based.

As well as exacting retribution on ethnic armies who refused to become government-controlled Border Guard Forces, Naypyidaw is also looking to secure areas aroundlucrative energy projects in Kachin and Shan state, the majority of which are backed byChina.

An article in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that the Burmese army hadfought the KIA "for the sake of project and public security", a rare admission of a keyreason behind its operations in the country's north.

Despite several attempts at negotiation, skirmishes continue to break out. Colonel ThanAung, Kachin state's Minister for Border and Security Affairs sent a handwritten letter tothe KIO warning that negotiations would take time.

===

Fresh govt. attack on KIA at hydropower dam The Irrawaddy , July 11, 2011

Burmese government troops have launched a large-scale attack including mortar shellsagainst the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) at the hydropower dam site in MomaukTownship, Kachin State, northern Burma.

The two-day assault started on Sunday and involved government forces and KIABattalions 15 and 25, according to La Nan, joint-secretary of the KIA's political wing, theKachin Independence Organization (KIO).



A number of 81mm mortars shells also landed in areas close to the KIA headquarters inLaiza, next to the Sino-Burmese border. Some mortar rounds actually landed onChinese soil and were inspected by the authorities there, claimed La Nan.

The KIO has accused government troops of attacking the KIA from covered positionsamongst civilian infrastructure at the Taping hydropower dam site including workshopsand electricity poles. If KIA troops were to return fire, there is a strong possibility thatthese important Chinese-owned amenities will be damaged.

La Nan alleges that the Burmese government is attempting to cause problems betweenthe KIA and Chinese businesses through these military tactics. KIA troops, however,refused to be drawn into a protracted battle with the Burmese Army, he added.

KIA sources also reveal that the KIO leadership will conduct survey amongst Kachincivilians tomorrow to determine if they should seek a ceasefire with the government.

Serious fighting between the Burmese Army and KIA troops has forced more than10,000 refugees to flee to the Sino-Burmese border since hostilities broke out on June9.

Both small-scale clashes and heavy fighting have taken place every day across KachinState despite the government and KIO leaders recently discussing possibilities for aceasefire.

Meanwhile, local humanitarian groups and relief agencies have raised concernsregarding a rising need for emergency food, shelter and medical care, as well asschooling for children on the Sino-Burmese border.

More than 15,000 internally displaced persons and refugees are currently living inmake-shift camps along the frontier, and relief groups are quickly running out of aid andessential supplies.

28 govt. troops killed in ambush: KIA The Irrawaddy , July 18, 2011Wai Moe

Officials of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) claim 28 government troops werekilled during skirmishes in southern Myitkyina over the weekend -- the most BurmeseArmy casualties since the current Kachin State conflict began on June 9.

KIA sources told The Irrawaddy that they ambushed a military supply column and thehigh number of government casualties -- which included a major -- was due to thesurprise nature of the attack which took place in unfamiliar surroundings for governmenttroops. A KIA soldier was killed and four others were injured in the fighting.



La Nan, joint-secretary of the KIA's political wing the Kachin Independence Organization(KIO), said: "Information is still being collected about the casualties, but is possible thatthe Burmese Army column included around 60 troops who engaged with KIA soldiers."

In the skirmishes, 11 government troops including two officers -- a captain and alieutenant -- were captured. Along with the soldiers, KIA sources said they seized a60mm motor, a two-inch motor, a MG47 machine gun and other MA rifles.

Government troops battling the KIA over the weekend were from Infantry Battalion (IB)21 under the Northern Regional Military Command. IB-21 is one of three battalionsoperating together against KIA mobilizations in Kachin State, alongside IB-29 and IB-37.

These latest clashes come after two secretaries of the ruling Union Solidarity andDevelopment Party -- former government ministers Aung Thaung and Thein Zaw --traveled to Kachin State capital Myitkyina to meet with members of the KachinNationalities Advisory Committee on July 14-15.

However, the government in Naypyidaw's indirect negotiation with the KIO through thecommittee seems to have been unsuccessful, while some members of the advisoryborder committee warned the former ministers that the situation could get worse withouta political dialogue. The two former ministers told Kachin negotiators that they wouldreport what was said at the meeting to Naypyidaw, KIA sources said.

Due to intensifying conflicts and high numbers of casualties in northern and easternBurma, high ranking government and military officials held an emergency meeting inNaypyidaw at the weekend.

Members of the government's National Defense and Security Council (NDSC), such asPresident ex-Gen Thein Sein, First Vice President ex-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo andCommander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Gen Min Aung Hlaing, reportedlyappeared at the meeting.

Also present were Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Lt-Gen SoeWin, Union Defense Minister Maj-Gen Hla Min, Foreign Minister ex-Col Wunna MaungLwin, Home Minister Lt-Gen Ko Ko and Minister of Border Affairs Maj-Gen Thein Htay.

Although not strictly members of the NDSC, former ministers Aung Thaung and TheinZaw also reportedly attended the meeting. However, NDSC member Lower HouseSpeaker ex-Gen Shwe Mann and Upper House Speaker ex-Maj-Gen Khin Aung Myintwere absent.

Meanwhile, an operational meeting on ethnic issues was also held at the headquartersof the North-East Regional Military Command in Lashio. Tactical officers from theTriangle Regional Military Command, Eastern Regional Military Command and theMiddle-East Regional Military Command came to the meeting, according to militarysources.



KIO captures seven Burmese soldiers in fighting Mizzima News , July 20, 2011Phanida

Seven Burmese soldiers including a captain in Infantry Unit No. 21 under the NorthernCommand have been captured by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Fighting between Infantry No. 21 and KIO Battalion No. 18 and No. 23 took place alongthe Myitkyina-Bhamo Road at Khaya village in Waimaw Township on Saturday andSunday. Ten Burmese soldiers were killed and the seven soldiers were captured,according to the KIO.

The seven captives were identified as Captain Tun Tun Min, Lieutenant Zaw Ye Tun,Sergeant Tin Tun, Corporal Thein Naing Oo, Lance Corporal Naing Lin Tun, PrivateMyo Min Soe and Private Nay Naing. Two were injured and are receiving medicaltreatment, according to KIO Joint Secretary La Nang.

"They were captured in the fighting in Khaya village. Some government soldiers fled.More than 10 government soldiers were killed," said La Nang. "In accordance with thecaptives' desire, we will let them return later. We will follow international rules andprocedures. We will not harm them." Among the dead was Captain Aung Khine Win,said the KIO.

The injured captives, Lance Corporal Naing Lin Tun and Sergeant Tin Tun, arereceiving treatment in Laiza Hospital, said La Nang, who said the captives would beinterrogated and later returned to their units.

The KIO reportedly seize two 60-mm weapons, two MG 42 machine guns, one MA4rocket launcher, three MA3, five MA1, nine rocket propelled grenades, four 9-mmpistols, nine landmines, seven limpet mines, seven 79-mm grenades and variousammunition.

Meanwhile, fighting between the government Light Infantry Unit No. 348 and KIOBattalion 12 under Brigade 3 broke out on Monday and Tuesday. Burmese Captain

Thein Zaw Htwe and three soldiers were killed in the fighting, La Nang said. He saidone KIO soldier from Battalion No. 12 was killed on Monday. He said the Burmesegovernment's Light Infantry Unit No. 348 was reinforced with troops from Infantry No.74.

Fighting began more than one month ago, displacing many Kachin villagers. The uniongovernment has told local nongovernmental organizations not to help the war refugees,according to La Nang. Food and medicine are urgently needed for children who arerefugees, he said.



Similarly, a statement released by the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT)on Tuesday said that more than 16,000 refugees have left their homes and food andmedicine are needed.

"We have many problems. We urgently need tarpaulin to built tents and we need rice.We have run out of food. Despite the help provided by local organizations and religiousorganizations, it is not enough," Shirley Seng, the KWAT spokeswoman, told Mizzima.

KIA Await Imminent Attack The Irrawaddy , July 20, 2011Saw Yan Naing

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is on high alert with rumors abound that Burmesegovernment forces are planning a major assault against its headquarters in Laiza withinthe next three days.

Col. Zau Raw, the commander of KIA Battalion 4, which operates in northern ShanState, told The Irrawaddy that he had been told by his military sources that the Burmesearmy has been reinforcing its units in the area since July 16 and has positioned threemilitary ships on the Irrawaddy River at Bhamo in southern Kachin State.

Zau Raw said he was told that government troops planned to attack the KIAheadquarters within the next three days. He said the KIA was busy making preparationsto protect Laiza, which is located on the Sino-Burmese border and has a settledpopulation of approximately 6,000 people, mostly ethnic Kachins. The town has seen aninflux of more than 10,000 refugees since June 9 due to an outbreak of hostilitiesbetween the KIA and government troops. An additional 6,000 Kachin refugees arecurrently taking shelter at makeshift camps along the China-Burma border.

Maj. Kareng Naw Awng, the administrative chief of Laiza, told The Irrawaddy onWednesday that he too had heard that the government forces would attack Laiza, butcould not provide any further information. He said that some 300 villagers fled to theborder three days ago to escape arrest by government troops who routinely detainanyone they find living on farms and force them to work as porters for the army -- a job

that very often involves walking ahead of army battalions as "minesweepers."

As fears circulate that a major assault is imminent, the number of refugees seekingtemporary shelter at the border is increasing. Local NGOs have called for urgentinternational aid.

Denied refuge in China, terrified villagers are sheltering in camps set up inareas by the KIA's political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). Thosecut off or otherwise unable to travel to the border camps have fled to towns deeperinside Kachin State.



Cases of sexual violence have also been reported, according to the aid groups. ShirleySeng, a spokesperson for the Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT), said,"Our people are trapped. They have no way out. Kachin networks and local churcheshave been helping, but it is not enough. International aid is urgently required." She saidthat KWAT is concerned not only for the immediate food and medical needs of therefugees, but also for their long-term survival, as many have been forced to abandontheir rice fields. "A humanitarian crisis is looming in Kachin State," she said. "We needconcerted international pressure, particularly from China, to force the regime toimplement a nationwide ceasefire before it is too late," she added.

KIO representatives met EU officials in Bangkok earlier this month to discuss the crisis.At the meeting, the KIO said their representatives urged the EU to help alleviate thesuffering of the Kachin refugees and called for the European bloc to mediate in theconflict.

KIA officials claimed 28 government troops were killed during skirmishes over theweekend in south of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, while one KIA soldier waskilled and four others were wounded. The KIA also captured 11 government troopsincluding two officers -- a captain and a lieutenant -- in the skirmishes, along with someweapons and ammunition.

Burmese troops close in on Laiza Democratic Voice of Burma , July 21, 2011

A column of Burmese soldiers have reportedly reached a village close to theheadquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in a sign that the group's grip onits territory in northern Burma may be weakening.

Locals in Nalon have fled four miles to the town of Laiza, the home of the KIA, afterhundreds of soldiers yesterday flooded the village. A resident of Nalon said that troopshad tried to sow disquiet among the population of the village, which is made up of ethnicShan and Kachin.

"A Burmese army column from Talawgyi, estimated to be about 50 to 100-strong, has

arrived in Nalon and they are inciting division among the ethnics," he said. "They weretelling the Shan not to trust the Kachin as they were providing information [to the KIA]via mobile phones and warned them to inform the army when they see someone usinga phone."

Concerns have also mounted that additional troops were being deployed to an outpostat Lajaryang, and that an attack on Laiza is drawing close.

Another Burmese column travelling from the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina hasreached Dabatyang village, around 30 miles from Laiza. The KIA has troops stationed in



a village around two miles from Dabatyang, and locals there fear fighting may beimminent.

Intense clashes have erupted across areas of Kachin state over the past two months,forcing thousands of refugees to Laiza and into China. Refusals from a multitude ofarmed ethnic groups to become government-controlled Border Guard Forces haveengulfed parts of Burma's northern and eastern border regions in violence.

Colonel Zau Raw, commander of the KIA's Shan state-based Battalion 4, told TheIrrawaddy Magazine yesterday that the Burmese army would launch an assault onLaiza before the end of the week.

The KIA last week captured five Burmese army personnel, including two officers,following an exchange of fire between the two sides on the highway connectingMyitkyina to Bhamo, where the Kachin army has a strong presence.

The Kachin Women's Association of Thailand (KWAT) issued a statement on 19 Julysaying that 16,000 refugees sheltering in makeshift camps along the China-Burmaborder are "urgently in need of aid".

"A humanitarian crisis is looming in Kachin State," said KWAT spokesperson ShirleySeng. "We need concerted international pressure, particularly from China, to force theregime to implement a nationwide ceasefire before it is too late." The same group hasdocumented the rape of 32 women and girls by Burmese troops since fighting began on9 June.

Burmese Military Reinforces Troops near KIO Bases The Irrawaddy , July 22, 2011Saw Yan Naing

The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) said that more Burmese army trucks andmilitary river vessels were headed toward its bases following rumors that thegovernment troops would attack the KIO's headquarters in Laiza.

La Nan, the joint-secretary of the KIO, told The Irrawaddy on Friday, "We can say it is arisky condition. We heard many army trucks were headed to Momauk Township. Militaryvessels on the Irrawaddy River are also headed to Bhamo Town."

Last night, Burmese government troops from Infantry Battalion 142 fired 20 mortars,including 81 mm mortars, at the Kachin Independence Army's (KIA) Battalion 24 underBrigade 5. The KIA is the military wing of the KIO.To cut off government troop supplies, the KIA troops destroyed a 60-foot-long bridge inWaingmaw Township two days ago.



La Nan said that he heard that Burmese air force preparations and exercises are takingplace in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, adding that tanks are also patrolling thecapital.

The Thailand-based Kachin News Group (KNG) reported that the government ispreparing to begin a full-scale offensive against KIA bases located in Kachin State andnorthern Shan State. Fuel, arms and ammunition have been stockpiled at the NorthernRegional Military Command, located in Myitkyina, after being transported fromMandalay by boat and train, according to the KNG report.

Meanwhile, the Burmese government, along with its Karen Border Guard Force,launched attacks, which included 81 mm mortar shelling, against the Democratic KarenBuddhist Army (DKBA), a renegade Karen armed group, in Myawaddy Township insouthern Karen State on Thursday. Local villagers are worried about further fightingbetween the government troops and the DKBA, which has the backing of the KarenNational Union (KNU), in southern Karen state. "The fighting is likely to escalate," saidBrig-Gen Johnny, the commander of Brigade 7 of the Karen National Liberation Army,the KNU's military wing.

Government troops moving closer to Laiza; heavy shelling in area Mizzima , July 22, 2011Phanida

A Burmese government artillery unit fired more than 20 shells on Thursday at theKachin Independence Organization (KIO) headquarters in Laiza, said party secretary LaNan. The firing took place from 9 to 11 p.m. The artillery unit was based inDawphoneyan sub-township, 25 miles from Laiza, he said.

"I think they were 81 mm and 76 mm mortars," he told Mizzima. There was no report oncausalities. KIA Battalion 24 is stationed east of Dawphoneyan, he said.

The KIO dynamited two bridges on the Myitkyina-Bhamo road between Dawphoneyanand Nwanlan villages on Thursday. One of the bridges was the Bailey bridge.

"We exploded a bridge between Dawphoneyan and Khala villages and another bridgeupstream near Nwamlan village. Then the government retaliated with artillery fire. Oneof the bridges was not destroyed," an officer told Mizzima.

The government's artillery fire could be in retaliation for destroying the bridges, he said.The KIO also destroyed a 30-foot concrete bridge on the Pa Mwe River betweenGayaran and Kazu villages in Waingmaw Township on Wednesday night.



La Nan said that the KIO destroyed the bridges because of a government troop buildupwith convoys from Bhamo and Myitkyina in recent days. "We got confirmation of militaryconvoys coming to Laiza. So we destroyed these bridges," he said.

The KIO said government solders were injured in an exchange of fire betweengovernment Battalion 228 and government soldiers wearing KIO uniforms onWednesday, which left three dead and seven wounded.

"Wearing enemy uniforms in war time is a wicked tactic. They are cunning anddishonest. And also it is a coward's act," said La Nang. He said government troops inKIO uniforms questioned and beat people on the Bhamo highway in June.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Red Cross from Yinjiang County, Yunnan Province, hasdonated medicine to be used for the estimated 16,000 war refugees displaced by thefighting, said a KIO health department official. "They have provided [the KIO] with aregular supply of medicine for infectious diseases such as malaria and influenza. Nowthe group has given medicine for our war refugees too," the official said. Refugees aresuffering from dysentery, colds, eyesores, skin diseases and other ailments.

New-generation war in Myanmar Asia Times , August 3, 2011Tony Cliffhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/MH03Ae02.html

6. THE KIO SPEAKS

KIA wants peace despite fresh bloodshed The Irrawaddy , June 15, 2011

Fighting between the Burmese Army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) recentlybroke out after their 17-year ceasefire agreement.

The Irrawaddy senior reporter Wai Moe interviews La Nan, the joint-secretary of theKachin Independence Organization (KIO), to determine the immediate situation innorthern Burma.

Question: How did the recent fighting begin?Answer: At around 3 am on June 9, government troops started firing heavy weaponsand approached our camp. We shot back at them at around 7 am and ceased firing at11:45 am. They, however, continued firing at us until 12:30 pm. The fighting that dayended then and the exchange of prisoners of war (POW) followed. Tensions rose againon June 10 and they relaunched their offensive at 3:45 pm. They shot at our Battalion



15 from a distance with heavy weapons. Battalion 15 is stationed at the origin of TarhPin River in Momauk Township of Bhamo District in Kachin State. The shooting is stillgoing on.

Q: What are the casualties from both sides so far?A: on June 9, two soldiers from our side were wounded. We already have evidence thatone of our men who was captured by the other side was beaten to death. So, twowounded and one POW that day, but the POW was already killed by the time he wasreturned to us. His whole body was covered by wounds and his face was swollen sobadly that we couldn't even recognize who he was.

On their side, one officer and three soldiers died. I don't know how to describe his titlecorrectly -- whether he is a captain or a major. He was given the salary of a major andwas soon to become deputy commander of a battalion. Also, one captain and eightsoldiers [on the government side] were wounded.

On June 10, three soldiers from our side died. They [government troops] used heavyweapons so we had to stay inside bunkers and fought back from there. Our soldiersdied by pieces of shrapnel from a shell that hit a tree above their bunker. We have noother causalities. We heard many soldiers from their side were wounded.

Residents in Momauk and Bhamo told us that wounded soldiers were taken to hospitalsthere and were under guard. They said around 30 soldiers were admitted to hospitalson the first day of fighting. Clashes went on the whole day on June 11 and 12 so I guessthat, if around 30 were wounded per day, there would now be nearly 100 injured. I still

can't confirm the number but people in Bhamo tell me this is how it is.

Q: KIO liaison offices were reportedly seized by government troops recently. Is thistrue?A: No, it wasn't like that. On June 9, one of our members, who was assigned in ourliaison office located near the hydropower plant in Hsan Gan, was arrested bygovernment authorities. He was then beaten and killed, and his body was left in front ofour office like an animal for two days.

We opened our liaison offices to deal with the government through diplomatic means.But they [Burmese authorities] treated our members on diplomatic missions however

they wantedÑwhich involves arrests, beatings and killings.

So we became very much concerned about the safety of our members living in our mainand liaison offices in Myitkyina. Thus, we withdrew them overnight on June 10. Thegovernment didn't order us to close down our office, but we just shut it by ourselves.

We don't have a liaison office in Momauk but fighting is going on in that area. Whenclashes broke out, our office in Myitkyina took care of communications between the KIOand the government's Northern Command. Our staff in the Myitkyina office are in [thegovernment] circle so instead of "closing down" the office it would be more appropriate



to say that we have called back our staff to our headquarters. If necessary, we willrevitalize our liaison office later.

Q: How are you going to handle electricity distribution in Myitkyina as it was taken careof by the KIO?A: Our electricity distribution prioritizes people living in Myitkyina and Waingmaw cities.We don't make any profit from the distribution, which is handled by the KIO's companyBokha Co. Ltd. Our company obtained an official permit from the then State Law andOrder Restoration Council and opened an office in Myitkyina. We called back ourmembers from that office on June 10 as well but we couldn't shut it down completelybecause local people there would be in great trouble.

There are civilian employees in the office so we asked them to continue the distribution.We only withdrew our members who are in leading positions. The remaining staff arenot KIO members so I don't think it will be any major risk for them to stay. We have onlymade losses in electricity distribution but have continued just for the comfort of localpeople.

Q: How about the situation in Laiza where the KIO headquarters are based?A: Before talking about this, let me continue what I was saying earlier. It seems that they[government troops] want to capture the mountain where our Battalion 15 is stationedby hook or by crook. It seems that they want to be based there. That's why they used alltheir troops available in Kachin State to attack that place. For us, we want to reduce theclashesÑwe want no clashes at all. So, we only resisted their offensive with the strengthwe had in Battalion 15 and didn't make the fighting bigger by adding more of our troops

from elsewhere.

Our Battalion 25 is stationed within sight of Battalion 15. I think they have deployedabout ten battalions, moving back and forth to attack us. We considered the currentproblem quite big enough and there would be battles across the Kachin State if wedeployed more troops, that's why we didn't do so.

I am not sure if they were concerned about the deployment of our troops from Laiza orhave other plans, but they have certainly deployed more and more troops. For instance,they have carried heavy weapons from Myitkyna and blocked our exits. Based on theirmovements, I can say that they are likely to expand the battles while we are trying not to

engage in further clashes.

Q: Will it be possible to regain a ceasefire agreement between the two parties?A: A former minister from Naypyidaw rang us on Sunday. I don't want to mention hisname. He called one of us and asked him to control our troops. He said if we don't thewhole country may become embroiled in war and that he will discuss the matter with thepresident. Our man replied that there will be many changes within the next two daysand they must stop their offensive and reduce their plans for attack if they are reallywilling for no more clashes. [The former minister] then said he will report back to his



seniors in their meeting [on Monday] and let us know how it goes. But we have notreceived any reply so far.

Kachin Independence Organization, Press Statement, June 20, 2011

Laiza

People in Kachin State are hereby informed with this statement.

1. Fighting are ongoing between KIA and Myanma Tatmadaw since 9th June 2011.

2. KIO does not want the people to face hardships.

3. This statement is in response to the false news published in theMirror newspapers on 17th June.

4. On 8th June, KIA asked to stop one army sergeant and one policeprivate namely Ye Naing for trespassed into the frontline area of KAIBrigade 3, regiment 15. The army sergeant fled and the policeman wasdetained.

5. At 14: 30 pm, fully armed and equipped army Captain Myat Ko Ko andLieutenant Ko Ko Win trespassed into KIO territory and they were alsodetained.

6. The Northern Regional Military Command Commander contacted andasked KIA to release those who are detained by KIA. In the same time,more troops were sent and military preparations were carried out byMyanmar army.

7. No 9th June 3 am, troops from Burmese army regiments 437 & 348 havearrived to Sang Gan Village and started attacking KIA frontlineoutpost.

8. At 5 am, the Burmese army surrounded KIA's liaison office in SangGan Village and arrested Lance Corporal Chang Yein.

9. KIA ordered its frontline troops of Regiment 15 to retreat andreinforce troops in Bon Hsin Camp. Until this time, there is noshooting from the side of KIA.

10. Burmese army columns advanced to Bon Sin Camp and started firingat KIA troops. At 7 am on 9th June, KIA returned fire.



11. At around 8 am, northern regional command contacted KIO HQ andsaid if KIA releases those captured, Burmese army will release KIOstaff arrested.

12. KIO replied to send official letter, the reply from Burmese armywas "there is no reason to send official letter."

13. The northern regional command again contacted at 11:00 am.

14. Upon bilateral negotiations, KIA ceased fire at 11:45 and theBurmese army stop firing at 12:30 pm.

15. Burmese army informed KIO that the detained Lance Corporal ChangYein had died due to incessant bleeding from wounds sustained duringthe fight and returned his weapons at around 17:45.

16. It was obvious that the Burmese frontline troops have lied totheir superiors since Lance Corporal Chang Yein was captured in theliaison office not during a fight.

17. However, KIO tolerated and peacefully returned Capt. Myat Ko Ko,Lieutenant Ko Ko Win, police private Ye Naing together with theirweapons at 18: 34 hrs on 9th June. Until now, the northern command hasnot release any of KIO members detained.

18. On the same day at 1600 hrs, Moe Meik tactical commander Col. AungToe asked to cross in front of KIA outpost to inspect and stay onenight in Tapaing Hydropower Plant. KIO HQ agreed and gave permission.

19. KIO HQ had to asked several times to return the body of LanceCorporal Chang Yein and the body was finally returned at 1455 hrs on10th June.

20. It was found that Lance Corporal Chang Yein was brutally torturedall over his body and killed.

21. Northern Command informed KIO that Col. Aung Toe and his troopswill not leave Tapaing Hydropower Plant and demanded that KIA troopsleave Bon Hsin Camp.

22. Not only the tactical commander did not leave the hydropowerplant, more troops from light infantry regiments 237, 320, 348, 387,236, 74, 21, 105, 321, 141 & 37 were reinforced to the area.

23. An ultimatum was given that KIA troops to leave the camp by 1200hrs on 11th June.



24. It is hereby informed to the people that fighting have continueduntil this time due to the inevitable situations.

Information Department, Laiza

'We will not make any offer for a cease-fire' Mizzima , June 22, 2011Ko Wild

Mizzima reporter Ko Wild interviews Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)spokesman and Joint Secretary La Nan on the recent fighting between government andKIO troops in Kachin State.

Question: The KIO recently received a letter from the Kachin State Union Solidarity andDevelopment Party (USDP) secretary 2 and Kachin State MP Thein Zaw proposing acease-fire.Answer: Thein Zaw sent a letter to us saying that their Northern Command had issuedits order to troops on the frontline to cease fire unless the KIO troops shot first. The KIOwas advised to issue a similar order to its troops. Thein Zaw sent this letter in hiscapacity as a Myitkyina Township constituency MP.

In our return letter, we asked them to produce a guarantee from a responsible person inthe military establishment to confirm the cease-fire order given to their troops. TheinZaw's letter just said that he had already informed the Northern Command commanderand the commander had already issued cease-fire orders to the troops. But this doesn'tmean a military officer sent the letter. So we told them we would reconsider this issuewhen we receive a letter written by a military officer guaranteeing issuance of thecease-fire order. We received their letter on Sunday and replied on the same day by e-mail. We have received acknowledgment of the receipt of our letter from them.

Q: Did you send a letter to Naypyitaw or inform them by some other means?A: We will not make any offer for a cease-fire. We replied to their letter only when wereceived it from the Kachin Nationality Consultative Council members who visited us.

Q: How many government troops are in Kachin State now?A: There are total of about 30 local battalions. All are on full alert for combat readiness.Since the fighting started, more troops are being sent here from other provinces. It'sdifficult to estimate the exact troop number. They used 11 battalions on June 11 whenwe fought them on that day, but they were not at full strength. Each battalion had amere 40 to 60 troops, maximum 80.

Q: There are reports that the government troops were committing rape. Can you confirmthis?A: Yes, it really happens in our state. Sometimes the reason behind the flight of the



refugees is the rape issue. The war refugees who flee to us are not just from conflictzones. The government troops are stationed in their villages, and they beat the men onsuspicion of being KIO supporters. Then they rape girls and women, and they don'teven spare old women. When this news spreads to other villages, the people fromnearby villages in government-controlled areas flee to our controlled area.

Q: Can you give an example of such rape cases being committed by governmenttroops?A: For instance, there is Kharun Mudan village in Lweje Township in our 3rd Brigadearea. The village is Lisu. The government troops raped a girl and shot her dead in thepresence of her parents. Her parents fled to China in fear of further persecution. Welearned of this incident from people living in China. They could not identify the army unitof the perpetrators. We are trying hard to get this information in detail. Our womenorganizations are investigating this case.

Q: The government said it launched its offensive to stop you from harassing the Tapeinhydropower project area.A: The KIO troops have been stationed and deployed in this Tapein hydropower projectarea for 30 or 40 years and they understand the situation. First, they brought inImmigration Department officials to check on the influx of Chinese labour into this area.Then they brought in a police force to protect the Immigration officials. Then the militarytroops entered the area. This is how they expand into our area. But there were noproblems between our troops and the Burmese army units.

We never kidnapped or threatened the Chinese labours and engineers. We have had

friendly relations with Chinese officials along the border for many years. Not only now.The KIO is a dignified organization. The Chinese companies and Chinese officials areaware of our dignity and sincerity.

Q: Can us tell us more about the Chinese workers at the Lasa hydropower project?A: This project is still underway. There are two tributaries, the Maykha and Malikha,upstream of Myitsone (the confluence of the Irrawaddy River). The project is located justbelow Sumprabum and upstream of Maylikha. It is in our 1st Brigade controlled area.

There were no government positions and outposts in this area before. The governmenttroops entered the area when the Chinese engineers and workers came in for this

project. We had an understanding with them. But the Chinese engineers and workersdid some exploring and mining operations for some metals and minerals besides theirmain work on the hydropower project. There are gold deposits and other mineral andmetal ores in the area. Then we expelled these Chinese mining units from the area.

Q: How many big hydropower projects are underway in Kachin State?A: Among them, the Irrawaddy Myitsone project is the largest. As I said, there will beanother in the Lasa area. There will be four to five similar projects on the Maykha River.All of the electricity generated by these hydropower projects will be sold to China and



the local people will not receive any benefits from the projects. Chinese companies andAsia World Company are implementing the projects in collaboration.

Q: How do the Chinese workers enter these project areas? Do they cross KIO-controlled areas?A: The Chinese who work upstream of Irrawaddy and Myitsone enter the project areasthrough Kanpaiti pass. The New Democratic Army-Kachin controlled this area in thepast. The Chinese working on the Tapein project enter their project area throughYinjiang and Lwejie. They do not need to pass through our control area.

Q: How many KIO troops and officials have been captured or arrested by thegovernment?A: More than ten. They are detaining many more on suspicion of having contact with us.No one has been released yet. Then chief of Military Affairs Security (MAS) MajorGeneral Ye Myint arrested all of them after September 30, 2010. Now he has becomethe Mandalay Region chief minister, and he was responsible for the arrests. One personwho was arrested after June 9 was Lance Corporal Chein Yan, who was later brutallykilled by them.

Q: The government has said that the Constitution could be amended in Parliament. Doyou think this offers some hope for a change in the government's methods?A: In fact they made the Constitution rigid and non-amendable. Thirteen armed ethnicorganizations that attended the constitution drafting convention submitted papers on thisissue. The KIO was one of them. But the government did not listen to our ideas, andthey didn't make any compromise or accommodation to our demands and requests. So

it's impossible to accept their Constitution because it does not reflect any considerationsof the ethnic populations' needs. Amending this Constitution in Parliament is a missionimpossible.

Q: How many refugees are there in KIO camps now?A: More than 10,000 refugees are in our KIO-controlled area. They came fromgovernment-controlled areas. First, they fled to China when the war broke out. Then theChinese officials cleverly urged and persuaded them to go back to their homes bysaying that there was no more fighting in their villages. China has not yet built anyrefugee camps on their soil. The KIO provides assistance to the refugees in our campsas much as we can.

7. HUMAN RIGHTS

Kachin women demand immediate end to Burmese regime's use of rape as aweapon of war in northern Burma offensive Kachin Women's Association Thailand, Press Release , June 21, 2011Detailed reports: www.kachinwomen.org/ Map: www.kachinwomen.org/map_rape_incidents_june_july_2011.jpg



The Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) is demanding an immediate end tothe Burmese military regime's widespread use of sexual violence in their offensiveagainst the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Burma.

At least eighteen women and girls have been gang-raped between June 10-18, 2011during Burma Army advances on KIA strongholds along the China-Burma border. Fourof these women were killed after being raped, one in front of her husband, who was tiedup and forced to watch. Another woman died from her injuries during rape.

Soldiers from five different battalions (Light Infantry Battalion 437 and Infantry Battalions237, 141, 142, 139 and 437) committed the rapes, in four townships of Bhamo District.Two particularly brutal incidents took place on June 18. In Dum Bung village, Mo Mauktownship of Bhamo, soldiers of LIB 437 caught three families who had not managed toflee in time. 6 women and girls were gang- raped, and 7 small children killed. In JeSawn village, Man Si township of Bhamo, soldiers of LIB 139 killed a 7-year-old girl andthen gang-raped and killed her grandmother.

These incidents are not random acts of violence, said KWAT spokesperson ShirleySeng. The Burma Army is committing gang-rape and killing on a wide scale. It is clearthey are acting under orders.

KWAT demands that the regime immediately stops using rape as a weapon of war,ends the offensive against Kachin and other ethnic groups, and withdraws from theethnic areas. KWAT is also urging China to provide refuge and humanitarian aid tothose fleeing, and to mediate in the conflict.

The regime is committing atrocities on China doorstep, and destabilizing the borderarea, said Shirley Seng. We believe it is in China's interest to mediate towards agenuine resolution of the political root causes of the conflict.

See attached map and list of details of rape incidents.

Contact persons: Shirley Seng + 66 86- 9238- 854Moon Nay Li + 66 85- 6251- 912Email:[email protected] / [email protected]

Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) is a non profit-making organizationworking on behalf of Kachin women. We have a vision of a Kachin State where all formsof discrimination are eliminated; where all women are empowered to participate indecision making at a local, national and international level; and where all Kachinchildren have the opportunity to fulfill their potential.



Kachin in New Delhi make six-point demand for war victims Mizzima , June 24, 2011Ko Pauk

Kachin refugees in New Delhi on Friday made a six-point demand that included askingthe Burmese military to stop torturing and raping war victims, according to protesters.

More than 120 protesters staged a two-hour demonstration in Jantar Mantar in NewDelhi. The protesters also included Chin, Arakanese and Burmese.

The protesters said they would send a letter to the Burmese Embassy in India.According to the statement released on June 21 by the Thailand based KachinWomen's Association, during an eight-day period between June 10 to June 18, 18women in Kachin State were raped and four were murdered by government soldiers.

'We made demands that included urging international countries to support the Kachinwar refugees', Zaw Yaw from the New Delhi-based Kachin Refugee Committee (KRC)told Mizzima.

The six demands are:

• The government should stop arresting, torturing and raping people in KachinState.

• The government should stop military offensives in Kachin State.• The international community should not recognize the army-backed Burmese

government.• The government should stop torturing people in all ethnic areas.• The government should stop military offensives in all ethnic areas.• International countries should support war victims in Kachin State.

Because of fighting between government troops and KIA, which started on June 9, morethan 13,000 war refugees have fled to Laiza, the headquarters of the KIA. There aremore than 40 war refugees in New Delhi.

Kachin in India and the UK, Denmark, Norway and other countries simultaneouslystaged protests to show their support for Kachin war refugees.

Burma's Vice-President implicated in Kachin massacres The Irrawaddy , July 15, 2011Ba Kaung

Burma's Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo should be investigated by a United Nations'Commission of Inquiry for his role as regional commander during a series of brutalmassacres in Shan State, says the leadership of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).



In interviews conducted last week with The Irrawaddy at their military headquarters inLaiza, Kachin State, three of the influential leaders of the KIA -- retired Col. James LumDung, Brig-Gen Gun Maw, and Col. Zau Raw -- laid out detailed reports with maps andgraphs that they said proves conclusively that the Burmese army committed atrocitiesagainst Kachin soldiers and civilians over the past 10 years.

The first and second of these massacres, according to the KIA, came in 2001 under thewatch of Burma's new vice-president who was Northeast Regional Commander at thattime.

Asked why evidence of such atrocities had never before been reported, the KIA leaderssaid that they had not publicized the massacres to avoid destroying the fragile politicalprocess during the 17-year ceasefire and while the constitution was being drafted.

Collectively and individually, the KIA leaders said that now that the ceasefire has beenbroken by the Burmese army, and that all hope of political negotiation has broken down,the KIA wants to present its allegations to the UN, and claims that the four mass killingsand three summary executions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to the KIA's documentation, which is written in Kachin language, the firstincident occurred in March 2001, in the countryside a few kilometers from Lau Jaivillage in Mung Si District, which is in Muse Township in northern Shan State.

The area was at the time openly under the control of the KIA. At 9 am on March 22, fourKIA soldiers on patrol came across a unit of approximately 100 Burmese infantry troopsof Division 242 led by Maj. Khin Maung Hla, the commander of Kutkai MilitaryCommand in Muse.

Initially, the Burmese patrol requested the KIA soldiers to guide them to the village ofShauk Haw. Before reaching the village, the four Kachin soldiers were attacked,disarmed and tied up. At around 2 pm, they were all shot dead. Their bodies were half-buried on top of each other in a shallow grave in the forest.

The KIA recovered the corpses one month later. They recorded the deceased as:Sergeant Zatau Dau Hawng, and private soldiers Laphai Zau Bawk, Dashi NawngHkum and Kareng Tu Lum. The KIA report says a formal funeral was held for the four

on April 22, 2001.

On the same day, a harrowing scene was played out at a small agricultural farm inMung Si District in Shan State. The KIA report lists the plot in the hamlet of Nawng TauSi Sa Pa, and says the farm was run by the KIA's 2,000-strong Battalion 4, as part of aregional development program initiated after the ceasefire in 1994.

It is alleged that a column of 70 Burmese troops approached the farm and requested ameeting with Second Lieutenant Hpuwang Naw Seng of the KIA. However, as NawSeng was otherwise engaged, the KIA's Warrant Officer Lt. Gam Seng went out to meet



the Burmese unit which was led by Lt. Col. Nyo Win from Light Infantry Division 242 --the very same unit accused of involvement in the executions in Muse.

As soon as Gam Seng came before the Burmese troops, he was allegedly grabbed andtied up. Simultaneously, Burmese government troops broke into the farmhouse andarrested four KIA soldiers, including Naw Seng, and two civilians.

According to the KIA records, the captives were taken to a nearby forest and physicallytortured throughout the night. They were all dead by the following morning.

Some weeks later, the KIA recovered the seven bodies in a swamp. Each had multiplestab wounds, which the KIA said were inflicted by bayonets. Each of the bodies showedevidence of burning to the genitals. On some trees nearby, the KIA found samples ofthe victims' hair mixed with blood.

They concluded the captives had been tied to the trees, tortured, stabbed and burned,before being killed.

"The soldiers were so severely beaten up that their bodies were just a pile of brokenbones," the report describes. "Their dead bodies were stamped on and crushed into themud near a creek."

The victims were named as: Second Lt. Naw Seng, Warrant Officer Gam Seng, LanceCorporal Aik Nyi, private soldiers Nhkum Ban Aung Mai and Ma Aik Nai. One civilianwas a Kachin man, Zum Zang Hawng Lum, who was the nephew of Col. James LumDung, the then head commander of KIA Battalion 4 operating in northern Shan State.The other civilian was identified only as a Chinese man.

In his interview with The Irrawaddy in Laiza last week, Col. James Lum Dung -- whotook up arms against the Burmese troops in 1961 and retired as the KIA regionalmilitary commander in 2007 -- said the killings were a deliberate provocation by theBurmese troops under the supervision of Tin Aung Myint Oo. "Their motive was to driveour troops out of Shan State," said James Lum Dung. "Tin Aung Myint Oo was mainlyresponsible for these killings."

In seeking an explanation for the killings, James Lum Dung said he went to Lashio in

Shan State in 2001 to confront Tin Aung Myint Oo. "He made no response whatsoeverwhen I told him about the unprovoked massacres, " James Lum Dung said. "Instead, heoffered me 100,0000 kyat [US $1,000]. I did not accept it."

"We were furious about what had happened, but our leaders decided to wait for thecompletion of the constitution-drafting process," he said, referring to the military-sponsored constitution that was not completed until 2008, and which was later rejectedby the Kachin leadership for its exclusion of rights for ethnic minorities.



Documentation for a third incident alleged to have taken place in August 2005 in HwakKai village in the Kutkai district of Muse Township was presented by the KIA to TheIrrawaddy. By this time, Tin Aung Myint Oo was no longer regional commander; Maj-Gen Myint Hlaing, the current minister for Agriculture and Irrigation, was overseeingoperations.

Falsely accused of illegally collecting taxes from local traders, the KIA's administrativeofficer U Sang Lu, 50, was arrested and taken away by Col. San Shwe Thar of theBurmese army's Northeast Regional Command.

U Sang Lu was found dead the following day with three bullet wounds. His skull and twoof his ribs were fractured, and the skin on his wrist had been torn away. "It was agroundless murder," the document said. "The KIO [the political wing of the KIA] has longcollected tax from local businesses. U Sang Lu was performing a routine duty, but wasruthlessly killed."

It is alleged that the following year, five KIA soldiers and one civilian were killed in coldblood by Burmese government troops, this time in the Bum Pri Bum area of Kutkai insouthern Muse Township.

On Jan. 2, 2006, a Burmese army patrol of 12 soldiers led by Maj. Hla Moe fromInfantry Division 68 allegedly arrived at a KIA administrative office in Bum Pri Bum."While our soldiers prepared to serve the Burmese troops with drinks, they were all shotdead in the office and in the kitchen," the record states. The KIA document goes on tosay that the Burmese unit immediately called in reinforcements, and prevented the KIA

from entering the area and collecting the remains.

Led by Brig-Gen Gun Maw, who is the current KIA deputy military chief, a Kachinmilitary delegation met with Burmese army officers and asked to recover the bodies ofthe murdered KIA soldiers. They were permitted to collect the bodies on Jan. 6 only tofind the bodies had already been cremated. Gun Maw said they were presented with"bags of ashes."

The victims were recorded in the KIA records as: administrative officer Laban GamHpang, Sergeant Brang Mai, office staffers Zahkwng Kawang Hkam, Maran Tu Shanand Brang Shawng, and a civilian from the village named as Aik Nyunt.

Col. Zau Raw, the current commander of KIA Battalion 4 operating in Shan State, toldThe Irrawaddy he clearly recalls the incident in 2006. He said the Burmese militaryofficials later offered up an excuse that the KIA soldiers were mistaken for members ofan armed militia which had not signed a ceasefire agreement with the government.

"We suppressed our emotions in those days, because we were waiting for some sort ofpolitical result from the constitution," said Zau Raw, adding that he remembers crying ashe led the funeral for the slaughtered men.



Zau Raw was one of the KIA's highest ranking officials who participated in theconstitution-drafting process. He said that despite the murders, the KIA has abided by acode of ethics, and has returned Burmese soldiers that they arrested during recentclashes to their units.

The KIA presented documentation for two other killings in October 2005 when two KIAadministrators were murdered by Burmese soldiers in Shan State in separate incidents.

The KIA officials accuse former Gen. Myint Hlaing, who is the current minister forAgriculture and Irrigation, of responsibility for the killings in 2005 and 2006 as he wasregional commander at the time.

Gen. Gun Maw said that KIA leaders did not previously attempt to draw internationalattention to those incidents because they did not want to impede the political processthat they hoped would bring autonomy to Kachin State.

Gun Maw said that the Burmese army leadership has long exercised a systematic policyof extra-judicial killings against the KIA. "Our soldiers did not die in vain," he said,adding that the news that one of his soldiers, who was arrested by Burmese soldierslast month in a KIA liaison office and brutally killed, has received international attentionwhich will add weight to the KIA's demands during negotiations with the Naypyidawgovernment.

As opposed to the 1994 ceasefire with the Burmese government, the KIA said it hasmade it clear that any future ceasefire talks with the government must includemeaningful political dialogue -- otherwise they will continue fighting.

Indeed, negotiations for a ceasefire may already be doomed. Many Kachins cannotforgive the Burmese army for the murders, and many find it galling that the KIA would sitdown with a government delegation, especially if it includes Tin Aung Myint Oo.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, ex-Maj Aung Lynn Htut, who defected to theUS in March 2005, described Tin Aung Myin Oo as "a butcher," but also attributed theunprovoked massacres to a strategic policy of trying to inflict a stranglehold over thearmed ethnic groups over the past decade.

According to Aung Lynn Htut, the incidents were partly related to Tin Aung Myint Oo'shostile attitude toward the ethnic armies. "He was well-known as 'The Butcher' in thearmy," he said. "He was always quick to slap his subordinates in the face, and heconstantly reiterated a mantra of 'Root out the enemy at all costs!'"

He said that another factor that contributed toward the massacres was that since early2000, former military chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe had been ordering regional militarycommanders to tackle harshly the armed ethnic groups, including the KIA, and expandBurmese army presence in the ethnic areas -- in preparation for a violation of theceasefires and a resumption of hostilities.



The KIA officers presented the common view that Vice-President Tin Aung Myint Ooplays a critical role in the current armed conflicts. According to Col. Zau Raw and theother KIA officials, the massacres they described to The Irrawaddy should beinvestigated by the UN and international bodies responsible for deciding whether toproceed with the proposed Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes againsthumanity.

"We call on the United Nations to investigate these incidents," said Zau Raw. "We willnever forget them."

Families in Kachin war zone ordered out July 28, Democratic Voice of Burma

Several villages located in a zone of heavy fighting in Kachin state have been orderedby Burmese army commanders to relocate as thousands of people continue to bedisplaced by conflict in Burma's north.

More than 20,000 people are thought to have been uprooted from their homes sincefighting between Burmese forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) began on 9June. The latest victims of displacement hail from Momauk township near the Chineseborder, close to where fighting first broke out.

"[The Burmese army] said they didn't want to see anyone in those areas," a man inLaiza, headquarters of the KIA, told DVB. He claimed to have been assisting thethousands who have fled to Laiza, but said that those ordered to leave Momauk havebeen forced to shelter in towns further north such as Magayang.

Otherwise, he said, the government had given them a three-day deadline in which to getto the Kachin capital of Myitkyina, which lies within Burmese government territory.

According to reports from Laiza, around 200 refugees fleeing to Myitkyina andWaingmaw are currently stranded after fighting broke out close to the state capital.

Those who made it to Laiza however are facing the threat of further upheaval, asBurmese troops edge closer to the town. Reports last week suggested that armycolumns had reached within four miles of the group's headquarters, and had beenpounding nearby KIA bases with heavy artillery.

But the relocation of the Momauk township may be far from a benevolent move by thegovernment, which is famed for its Four Cuts military strategy that seeks to destroy thesupply lines that support opposition forces. Civilians who live in territory controlled byethnic armies are often seen as sympathisers, and either forced out or killed.



Local aid groups in Kachin state are said to be struggling with the flood of refugees. TheKachin Women's Association of Thailand (KWAT) issued a statement on 19 July sayingthat a humanitarian crisis was looming for the 16,000 refugees sheltering in makeshiftcamps along the China-Burma border, who are "urgently in need of aid".

To date no international aid groups have accessed the region, perhaps in part due tostrict government controls that hinder the movement of aid workers during sensitivetimes.

8. REFUGEES

Kachin Conflict Sparks Refugee Situation The Irrawaddy , June 15, 2011Saw Yan Naing

As fighting escalated on Wednesday between Burmese government forces and Kachinrebels, more than 1,000 civilians sheltered around the Sino-Burmese border afterfleeing their homes to escape the fighting, while about 200 crossed into China, and anunknown number hid in the jungle or were displaced elsewhere.

Several villages were like "ghost towns" after all the residents fled as the conflictneared, said Seng Aung, a source in Laiza, the headquarters of Kachin IndependenceArmy (KIA), which is resisting the Burmese army.Most of the displaced villagers and refuge-seekers were from Momauk, Bhamo, Mansi,Waingmaw and areas near Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

According to community relief workers on the Chinese border, more than 1,000 people,mostly ethnic Kachin, had attempted to cross into China, but only 200 -- mostly theelderly, children and mothers -- were allowed in by the Chinese border security forces.

Sources said the Chinese authorities confiscated telephones from refuge-seekersentering the country, and told them not to try to make contact with anyone while theywere in China. In the meantime, several local NGOs and community-basedorganizations in Laiza are supporting those fleeing their homes. One committee

member told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that there is a food and medical supplyshortage.

A Chinese activist working with an NGO in Beijing told The Irrawaddy on Wednesdaythat his friends who operate businesses near the Sino-Burmese border had returnedhome due to the ongoing conflict.A Chinese website, The People Net, reported thatarmed clashes had broken out around Tapai hydropower station in Kachin State, whichis constructed by a Chinese company. More than 100 Chinese engineers and otherconstruction workers reportedly evacuated the site and returned to China immediately.



Around 200 villagers from Up N-Hkawng Pa village have been displaced into the jungleas they cannot cross into China or enter the border town of Mai Ja Yang, said localsources. A few days ago, more than 1,000 villagers moved into Mai Ja Yang, a Kachintown bordering China, and more people were attempting to seek refuge there, said thesources. "Fighting broke out in my village, Katsu, at 2 am [on Wednesday]," said NawLa, a Kachin student. "Most of the villagers had already fled." Katsu has around 100households and is located on the route connecting Bhamo and Myitkyina. "About 500people from Katsu fled to Myitkyina and Wai Maw," said Naw La. "Some are hiding inthe jungle. Others went to their relatives' towns. Many headed for China."

Battles in northern Burma erupted last Thursday after negotiations broke down betweenthe KIA and the Burmese army over a hostage situation. The clashes escalated sincethen and could lead to a civil war, said observers.The KIA signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government in 1994. However,the agreement informally broke down last year after sporadic fighting broke out.

Kachin fighting forces farmers to abandon their farms; refugees flee Mizzima, June 16, 2011Kyaw Kha

Following seven-days of fierce fighting between Burmese government troops and theKachin Independence Army (KIA), local farmers and refugees are fleeing the area.Many are crossing into China.

Farmers from areas around Moemauk, Waimaw, Dawphoneyan, Manshi, Laiza andMyitkyina have stopped their normal work on preparing their fields prior to the plantingseason.

The former treasurer of the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), Muyin DaungKhaung, who lives in Myitkyina, told Mizzima that he saw about 70 farmers leaving thearea with their belongings.

The farmers in the area generally grow rice on the mountain sides using the slash-and-burn method. 'Leaving their farmlands means ruining their livelihood', he said. 'All these

farmers are going back to their homes and abandoning their farmland. If the warcontinues for a long time, the people will face a food shortage in the coming months',Muyin Daung Khaung said.

People in the area are very frightened, he said. 'The commodity prices are rising as thetransport routes are disrupted by the war. If the situation remains unchanged for twomore days, commodity prices will increase'.

A resident in Laiza, the KIA stronghold, said many people are fleeing to Ruili on and JieGong on the Chinese side of the China-Burma border. 'They are afraid the government



troops will force them to serve as porters in their military operations', he said. He saidreports estimated that 15,000 people had fled to China.

Most of the people leaving for China are old and elderly, women and children. Many hadmade preparations earlier by renting houses or telling relatives they planned toevacuate if fighting broke out. 'They left able-bodied men as caretakers of their homes',said a man who is preparing to flee.

According to local sources in Moemauk and Bhamo where the current fighting startedon June 9, government troops suffered heavy casualties. Sources said the troops usedlocal people and convicts as porters.

A Kachin leader said the government may send two more army divisions to the wartheatre and it may use air power to support its ground troops.

An area resident said, 'We have had many sleepless nights. We are in constant fear ofshells falling on our homes. I can't sleep whenever I hear explosions on the outskirts ofour town'.

On Tuesday, all passenger buses and trucks stopped their services in the war zone.One passenger bus on the Laiza-Myitkyina route left the bus terminal on Wednesday.

A KIO spokesperson complained that the state government and the Kachin politicalparties that supported the central government have been silent during the hostilities.The Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) or White Tiger party, the UnionSolidarity and Development Party (USDP), the National Unity Party (NUP), the Unityand Democracy Party are not available at this time of crisis, he said.

He said, 'These parties formed at the behest of the government and all of them are pro- junta. They don't do anything for their supporters now when they face difficulties. Wecannot expect anything from them'. He said there had been little local media coveragein state-run publications.

Kachin Displaced by Conflict in Need of Food, Medicine The Irrawaddy , June 21, 2011Sai Zom Hseng

Around 2,000 Kachin war refugees who have fled recent fighting between Burmesegovernment troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are now in need of food,shelter and medical assistance, according to relief groups.

Seven local Kachin groups are assisting the refugees and have already formed acommittee to assist the fleeing villagers. The committee is responsible for distributingfood and small amounts of medicine donated by other villages in the area.



People from around 60 villages have fled their homes since the fighting began nearlytwo weeks ago. Most are living in the jungle, while some are receiving assistance fromrelatives living in villages outside the conflict zone, according to Mai Ja of the KachinWomen's Association Thailand, one of the groups engaged in relief efforts near theSino-Burmese border.

"We provide food and a small amount of medicine donated by other villages, but it isn'tenough. They are still hiding in the jungle, and many are in need of medical assistance,"said Mai Ja, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday."We are especially concerned about the spread of malaria, flu and diarrhea. There arealready many cases of diarrhea, although no one has died from it yet," she said, addingthat there have been reports of the disease at almost every location where the refugeesare staying.

Most of the refugees are from Momauk, Bhamo, Mansi and Waingmaw townships. Afew are from villages near Laiza, where the headquarters of the KIA and its politicalwing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), is located.

According to La Nan, the joint-secretary of the KIO, there are plans to build three campsfor the refugees in the area controlled by KIA Brigade 3. The camps will be in thevillages of U Ra Pa, Na Ya Pa and Naw Hpar in Momauk Township. All are about oneday's walking distance from the conflict area."Right now, we are able to provide some food -- basically just rice, salt and oil -- and asmall amount of medicine. We can't solve all of their problems, but we will do as muchas we can to help the refugees," said La Nan.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that some refugees who crossed into China nearlya week ago have been forced to return. "The Chinese authorities told them that fightinghad stopped in their area, so they were told to go back," said Mai Ja.

Clashes between the Burmese army and the KIA erupted on June 9, after negotiationsbetween the two sides over a hostage situation broke down. According to a KIAstatement released on Monday, the Burmese army fired the first shot.

However, according to the state-owned New Light of Myanmar, the KIA initiated theconflict. "Tatmadaw [Burmese army] columns inevitably counterattack KIA troops for

their threats and armed attacks," read the headline of a report published in thenewspaper on Saturday.

On Sunday, KIA troops destroyed a Burmese intelligence outpost in Bhamo Township.Since then, the situation has been quiet but tense. There has been no official contactbetween the two sides since the government sent four Kachin leaders to Laiza asintermediaries to call for a cease-fire on Friday. In response, the KIA asked thegovernment to provide some evidence that it has ordered its army to stop firing.



KIO camps now sheltering 13,000 war refugees Mizzima , June 24, 2011Te Te and Phanida

The number of war refugees fleeing from the war zone in Kachin State has reachedmore than 13,000 since war broke out between government troops and the KachinIndependence Organization (KIO), according to the KIO.

KIO central committee member and refugee relief committee head Dwe Pee Sar saidthat more 5,000 refugees are now in Laiza; more than 2,300 in the Monyin District KIO5th Battalion area; and more than 6,000 refugees in the 3rd Battalion area.

'Most of the refugees are from places along the Myitkyina-Bhamo highway', Dwe PeeSar said. Refugees are being located in various buildings, at the Laiza town hall, theNo.3 marketplace and in empty apartments and shops.

Refugees, including about 700 children, are being provided rice and medicine, KIOspokesman La Nan told Mizzima. He said the refugees are not receiving any assistancefrom other organizations.

War broke out between government troops and the KIO on June 9. Large numbers ofrefugees have also fled across the Sino-Burma border. Most of the refugees arechildren, women and elderly people who need food and shelter, said the KIO.

Following is a summary of the refugee situation:

Food

The major expense for refugees is food. The KIO provides two empty cans of rice(about 0.57 Kg) per refugee each day. They prepare their meals themselves withwhatever extra food they can buy at a market. The KIO provides water and somefirewood. Those who do not have money have to survive on the KIO food ration. TheKIO spends more than 2 million kyat (US$ 2,548) daily on food supplies.

Shelter

Many refugees have no mats, blankets or mosquito nets with them and they sleep on aconcrete floor. The KIO provides some mats.

Health

Many children are sick when they reach the camps, suffering from diarrhea, malaria,common cold and coughs. The KIO health department provides free medical care in thecamps. Eight children have been hospitalized with diarrhea. Children also have skindiseases, measles and trachoma. Medical supplies are adequate now for the refugees



but it will be difficult if more refugees reach the camps and heavy rain continues,causing more illnesses.

Education

The KIO tries to continue the children's education while they live in the camps. Somestudents are sent to schools in Laiza. There are plans to build a new school in therefugee camp area.

Additional aid

No agency is providing additional assistance at this time. The KIO has requested aidfrom local organizations and foreign NGOs.

Kachin State Refugees Face Uncertain Future The Irrawaddy , July 1, 2011Ba Kaung

Beneath a makeshift roof in the drizzling rain, a funeral ceremony took place on Fridayfor an eight-year-old Kachin boy who died the night before from diarrhea -- the firstcasualty among the estimated 15,400 refugees living in five camps in and around Laiza,Kachin State, the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

A week ago, the boy fled with his mother and relatives -- who were now sitting aroundhis small coffin -- from a village in the Kachin State town of Nam Seng Yan near theChinese border. They left home after hearing that columns of Burmese troops werepassing through the village to fight the KIA, which has been engaged in ongoing battleswith the Burmese army since a 17-year-old ceasefire collapsed in the midst of deadlyclashes three weeks ago.

"His father is left behind to take care of the rice paddies," said Nam Taung, the boy'smother, who struggled to speak in Burmese and then sat silently, gazing into thedistance.

Many of the war refugees are women and children who came from villages near Laiza;most of them are ethnic Kachin. Several women said that their husbands, who askedthem to leave with the children when fighting broke out, stayed behind to take care ofthe crops.

"I fled because I previously heard stories about the torture and rape of women by theBurmese army," said Lu Nam, 30, from the village of Madi Yan near the Chinese border.She fled with two of her children and is now living at a market being used as atemporary refugee camp in Laiza. Her husband is at a frontier post fighting for the KIA.



Although the KIA is providing food and medicine daily, many children in the refugeecamps are clearly suffering from malnutrition. "Many of the refugees have nothing to liveon and we don't know how long they can sustain their lives," said La Rip, who works forthe Kachin Development Group, which is assisting the refugees. "I don't know what willhappen to them if the KIA reaches the point of being unable to provide further help."

The refugees are receiving virtually no outside help other than from Health Unlimited, aUK-backed NGO based in China, because the conflict zone is located in a highmountainous area that is difficult to reach, and there are a limited number ofinternational NGOs active at the China-Burma border in this area.

Some refugees at first crossed over to the Chinese side of the border, but were laterforced to return to Burma. Some of the refugees who were forced back to Laiza weretold by the Chinese authorities that they could only return to China when war broke out."I think China's position could be in conflict with international refugee laws," said La Rip.

The Burmese army and KIA officials held ceasefire talks near Laiza on Thursday, butthe discussion did not produce any concrete results and the threat of a major warbreaking out has made the refugees afraid to go back home. "I don't know when we cango back to our village," said a middle-aged man who was formerly a KIA soldier and isnow a refugee. "I think it only depends on the Burmese government."

Burmese government blocks aid to Kachin war refugees Mizzima , July 11, 2011Phanida

The Burmese government has told domestic NGOs not to give aid to Kachin warrefugees who fled to KIO areas along the Sino-Burma border after the outbreak of war,according to a Kachin refugee relief committee official.

Mai Ja said that during the heavy fighting between the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO) and government troops in mid-June, the KIO requested NGOs togive assistance to refugees and the NGOs responded positively. But the NGO reliefsupplies have been blocked by the government, she told Mizzima.

"One NGO told to me that the government told them not to give relief assistance to theKachin refugees," she said. "The government threatened that they would withdraw theirregistration unless they followed the order. No NGO is allowed to give relief assistanceto us." "They had a plan to help us but they cancelled the plan when the government putpressure on them," she said.

Mai Ja said NGOs first agreed to give cash assistance when the war broke out on June15. She said the government has told at least three NGOs not to communicate with theKIO.



A source close to one NGO said the government told NGOs about three weeks ago tosign a pledge not to provide assistance to the war refugees.

The KIO said that the number of war refugees in Laiza, the KIO headquarters hasreached about 17,000. No NGO has provided any assistance to the refugees, said reliefcommittee head Dwe Pi Sar.

"They gave a verbal order to NGOs in Myitkyina not to provide assistance to refugees.Not only NGOs, they also ordered the religious leaders not to help us. I believe blockingof assistance to the people is a violation of human rights," he said.

Many NGOs including AZG, World Concern, WHO, Nyein Foundation, ShalomFoundation and Mitta Foundation operate in Myitkyina.

Mai Ja said, "We are not the armed group. We are the cannon fodder between thesetwo armed groups, the KIO and government troops. The war refugees had to flee fromthe war zone when the war broke out. We are not opposing the government. Blockingrelief supplies to the refugees means starving them to death. This government has nosympathy and no humanitarian consideration at all," she told Mizzima.

Many refugees are still afraid to return to their homes because they fear the fighting willresume, in spite of on-going cease-fire negotiations.

Children become latest victims of conflict in Kachin State Democratic Voice of Burma , July 13, 2011Aye Nai

An outbreak of diarrhoea in makeshift refugee camps in northeast Burma set up byKachin Independence Organisation is affecting hundreds of children taking shelter thereand resulted in two recent deaths, according to the KIO.

La Nan, spokesperson of the KIO told DVB three children have died so far in the campsset up in KIO headquarter town of Laiza near China's Yunnan Province.

"Two children; aged 2 and 5, died in one day with diarrhea Ð- so there are three deathsincluding the death of another child who was suffering from pneumonia (earlier)," saidLa Nan.

He said there are about 300 child patients seeking medical assistance everyday at localhospital suffering from illnesses related to lack of clean drinking water and inadequatesanitation. "Children are mainly suffering from illnesses such as dengue fever anddiarrhoea and this may lead to long-term health problems," he said.



Some 20,000 refugees, who fled armed clashes between Burmese troops and KIO'sarmed-wing, Kachin Independence Army that started last month, are sharingaccommodation in large halls which makes it easier for the diseases to spread.

La Nan added the refugees are not getting any kind of assistance from aid groups, apartfrom one Non-Government Organisation in China providing blankets and mosquito netswhen the refugees started to arrive in Laiza last month.

Beijing is yet to give the refugees official recognition. A statement released by KachinWomen's Association-Thailand (KWAT) in June said China has restricted the movementof aid workers along the shared border with Burma.

Reports have also circulated that officials in Yunnan Province warned local households,some of whom are of Kachin ethnicity, along the border not to shelter refugees.

9. NEGOTIATING

KIO Reject Govt Ceasefire Plan as 'Insincere' The Irrawaddy , June 17, 2011Saw Yan Naing

Representatives of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) held talks in Laiza onFriday with a government delegation, but rejected Naypyidaw's plan for a ceasefireagreement, said La Nan, the Kachin rebels' joint-secretary.Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Friday following the negotiations, La Nan said that formerMinister of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs Thein Zaw flew from Naypyidaw toMyitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, on Wednesday and held talks two days ago andheld a meeting with members of the "Kachin Consultative Committee," which is asteering committee of ethnic Kachins with loyalties to the former military junta. AfterWednesday's meeting, La Nan said, Thein Zaw sent four delegates led by Sin Wa toLaiza, the headquarters of the KIO, for ceasefire negotiations.

La Nan said that the delegates told the KIA that Naypyidaw wanted to call a ceasefireand end hostilities against the KIO's military wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

They also said the government had ordered its front-line troops to stop firing on Kachinrebels two days ago.

However, according to La Nan, the KIO leaders refused to agree to the ceasefire afterthe delegates failed to produce any form of documentation, such as a letter fromNaypyidaw, to confirm the government's intentions. "We asked them for documents orletters with the signatures of officials in Naypyidaw. But, they had none," said the KIO

joint-secretary. "We told them that we would only consider a ceasefire if they couldproduce evidence of their sincerity."



Despite the government delegation's claims, sources in Kachin State have told TheIrrawaddy that intense clashes and exchanges of gunfire have been ongoing betweengovernment forces and the KIA. On Friday, fighting broke out in Mohnyin Township,according to KIA sources who said that the KIA's Battalion 5 engaged governmentforces, killing five soldiers and wounding two. They did not report any casualties on theKIA side. Hostilities were also reported in Tanai (also known as Danai) in northwesternKachin State on Thursday night.

The Burmese authorities have deployed tight security at government offices in Myitkyinawhile passengers travelling on the Myitkyina-Bhamo road were strictly questioned andthoroughly searched at government checkpoints, local sources said.

Local government officials in the state capital summoned members of the UnionSolidarity and Development Party (USDP), and told them to be on standby for armyrecruitment if the conflict escalates, Kachin sources said.Meanwhile, local residents have reported that government troops have used villagers ashuman shields on maneuvers in Namh Kam Township in northern Shan State.

Government troops sealed two villages (Nam Lim Pa in Min Khawng Township andTung Hung in Taw Htum Yang Township) and banned the villagers from leaving.According to Seng Aung, a KIA source in Laiza, near the China-Burma border, thegovernment forces are employing this tactic as they intend to systematically use thevillagers as human shields. Residents of the two villages have dug tunnels and bunkersas hiding places in case major hostilities break out, he added.

Seng Aung told The Irrawaddy that some villagers who fled to Laiza said that otherswho tried to flee were prevented from doing so by government soldiers. Some made itby road to Laiza after lying to soldiers at checkpoints, telling them that they werefarmers on their way to their fields, but headed instead to the relative safety of Laiza.

On Friday, four Kachin villagers in Man Kang village in Nam Kham Township werearrested and tortured by government troops after being suspected of having KIAloyalties, said Seng Aung.

Residents of Maijayang village in Momauk Township also reported that schools,markets and NGO training centers were closed, and that the village was on high alert

fearing further attacks. Some villagers had reportedly sold off their livestock cheaply andfled to the Chinese border to seek sanctuary."The village is very quiet. Everyone has packed a bag and are ready to flee by day or bynight," said La Aung, a Maijayang resident.

The KIO claims that some 10,000 Kachins have become war refugees in the nine dayssince conflict broke out on June 9. Some have taken refuge emergency shelters inLaiza and other locations near the Sino-Burmese border, while others have gone toother areas to stay with relatives. Some 200 have crossed into China, the KIO says.



Burmese government offers KIA a cease-fire; fighting continues Mizzima , June 17, 2011Phanida

Nine days after fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burmesegovernment troops began, the government has said it wants to negotiate a cease-fire.Meanwhile, fighting between the two sides continues.

The message was forwarded by the Kachin Consultative Assembly. 'The message saidthat they had stopped fighting against us, and they wanted us to stop fighting too. Andthe message said they wanted to hold a dialogue', Hla Nang, a central committeemember of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) told Mizzima.

On Friday afternoon, according to sources close to KIA, Battalion 5 and governmenttroops were fighting in Mohnyin District in Kachin State. During a one-hour battle, sevengovernment troops were killed. The KIO did not suffer any casualties, according to aKIO official. The information could not be confirmed by other sources.

The KIO said they were facing troops from the government's Infantry Battalion 142 ofthe Northern Command.

'In response to the offer, we replied that although they said they had stopped fighting, itwas just rhetoric. We said we needed to see official documents.'

'We asked them to give us proof such as the commander in chief's order or a telegramthat ordered the relevant government battalions to stop fighting. If they can give us suchorders, we will think about accepting the offer', said a KIA official.

On Friday morning, Kachin Consultative Assembly chairman Sin Wa and patronsLungjung San Mai, Labang Gam Aung and Ding Yau Zau Ing arrived in Laiza, the KIOheadquarters, as delegates.

Kachin State Chief Minister Lajun Ngum Sai, various ministers, USDP General-Secretary No.1 Htay Oo, USDP General-Secretary No.2 Thein Zaw and members of theKachin Consultative Assembly held a two-day meeting in the Kachin State Assembly'soffice in Myitkyina on Wednesday and Thursday and then delegates were sent to Laizato consult with the KIA.

KIO wants proof to show Burmese troops have stopped military offensive Mizzima , June 20, 2011Phanida



The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) on Sunday sent a letter to Thein Zaw, thegeneral secretary of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), askingfor proof to show that Burmese government troops have stopped their military offensiveagainst the KIO.

'If the government really wants permanent peace, they need to give us proof to showthat they have stopped the offensive. We need official documents that ordered therelevant government military units to stop fighting', La Nang, a KIO central committeemember, told Mizzima. Thein Zaw is an MP from Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

The Kachin Consultative Assembly on Friday forwarded a government message thatoffered the KIO a cease-fire, but the KIO doubted the authenticity of the offer.

The KIO letter said that if the government could provide proof, the KIO would withdrawits troops from the front and try to reach an agreement.

Meanwhile, KIO troops carried out an attack on the government's Military AffairsSecurity office in Namsangyang village on the Myitkyina-Bhamo Road about 2 a.m. onSunday, La Nang said.

Because of recent fighting, about 10,000 people have fled to the Sino-Burmese bordertown of Laiza, where the KIO headquarters are located, the KIO said.

On Sunday, a ceremony to mark Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's66th birthday was held in Laiza. In the ceremony, former members of the All BurmaStudents' Democratic Front and pro-democracy activists donated 5 million kyat (aboutUS$ 700) to war victims.

The KIO, which is fighting for racial equality and self-determination, signed a cease-fireagreement with the former junta in 1994, but after it rejected the junta's Border GuardForce plan, the cease-fire agreement was broken and fresh fighting began in earlyJune.

NLD urges peaceful solution to conflict The Irrawaddy , June 20, 2011Htet Aung

Burma's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), urges thenew government to seek a peaceful political solution to the recently inflamed armedconflicts in the country's ethnic areas, according to a party statement issued on Monday.

"We [the NLD] urge the parties concerned to negotiate their differences peacefully forthe unity of the country and the benefit of the people," said Ohn Kyaing, an NLDspokesman, quoting the statement.



The statement said that there had been casualties, injuries and destruction due to thearmed conflicts between the government forces and the Kachin Independence Army(KIA) in Burma's northernmost province, Kachin State.

The NLD said that about 10,000 local residents and Chinese workers constructing ahydropower dam in the conflict area had to flee across the border into China to escapethe hostilities.

The NLD issued the statement a day after the birthday of its leader, Nobel Peace Prizelaureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who, in a short speech at the party's headquarters onSunday, said, "If I were asked to choose the birthday present that I wanted, I would sayI wanted peace in the country."

Some observers say the renewed hostilities in Kachin State after a 17-year ceasefirebetween the Burmese army and KIA are largely due to Naypyidaw's desire to control thearea close to the China-Burma border where an important hydropower dam project is inprogress.

China's energy company Datang (Yunnan) United Hydropower Developing Co (DUHD)has invested in the Taping dam project and had 215 Chinese workers stationed thereuntil all returned to China recently due to the conflict, according to Burma's state-runNew Light of Myanmar.

Asked whether the NLD will do something to help facilitate the end of the armedconflicts in the ethnic areas, Nyan Win, the party's legal expert as well as one of itsspokespersons, said, "Our position is just to urge the parties concerned to seek apeaceful solution. We are in no position to carry out a plan of action to end the conflictfor the time being."

Like the NLD, some members of parliament from ethnic political parties such as theRakhine National Development Party (RNDP), the Shan Nationalities Democratic Partyand the All Mon Region Democracy Party have also called for a peaceful solution to endthe armed conflict in Kachin State.

Dr. Aye Maung, the chairman of the RNDP, suggested that a parliamentary committeebe formed with MPs from different ethnic backgrounds taking on a negotiating role to

reach peaceful agreements between the new government and the ethnic armed groups.

The 2008 constitution does not provide for a permanent standing committee on ethnicaffairs or state security affairs. According to the constitution, the parliament can formcommittees for Defense and Security Affairs and National Races Affairs, and only ifthere arises a need to study and submit these affairs to the parliament.

Without an appropriate body for the discussion of ethnic affairs and border securityaffairs in the new parliament, members of the existing parliamentary committees who



are currently discussing and reviewing existing laws are silent on the crucial issue of thearmed conflicts, according to a committee member who asked to remain anonymous.

Asked about the role of parliament and the right of MPs in bringing peace to the ethnicconflict areas under the current constitution, Thein Nyunt, a MP to the Upper House,said, "In principle, we don't want a spread of the civil war in the country.

"If we could raise issues by submitting questions and proposals to the parliament, wewould. But, as for the Kachin issue, the MPs in Kachin State know the situation betterthan their colleagues in other areas. Therefore they should initiate raising these issues."

Rangoon-based lawyer Aung Thein said that as the constitution gave the military thefreedom to operate independently from parliament, current Commander-in-Chief GenMin Aung Hlaing can exercise full authority to carry out military operations in the nameof protecting the country by all means.

KIA is ready for ceasefire, if offered through proper channels The Irrawaddy , June 23, 2011Sai Zom Hseng

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) is ready to stop fighting, but first it wantsguarantees that any ceasefire proposal offered on behalf of the government will berespected by Burmese military commanders, according to officials from the group'spolitical wing.

"We want the Burmese government or a leading member of the Burmese army to offerproof that they will stop firing. We can't just accept a short letter saying that they willstop," said La Nan, the joint-secretary of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, La Nan said that the KIO recently received aletter from Thein Zaw, the former Minister of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs,stating that "Northern Regional Military Commander Brig-Gen Zeyar Aung has alreadyordered his troops to stop firing, and the KIA needs to stop firing as well."

He said that the letter was written by Thein Zaw in his capacity as an MP for Myitkyina,the Kachin State capital, and therefore could not be regarded as representative of thegovernment's position or that of the Burmese military.

La Nan noted that when the KIO agreed to a ceasefire with the Burmese government in1994, leaders of both sides were present and the agreement was signed in front ofseveral witnesses.

"Even then, we found that the Burmese army couldn't be trusted not to attack ourtroops. For example, in 2001, they killed about 10 KIA Brigade 4 soldiers in northern



Shan State for no reason. We don't want problems like that in the future. That's whywe're asking for guarantees," he said.

La Nan said that the KIO also recently received a letter from Zeyar Aung, the Burmesearmy's northern regional commander, but it made no mention of a ceasefire. The letterdenied that the recent fighting was part of a Burmese military operation, claiming thatthe conflict started because the army had to "protect a state-level project being carriedout in cooperation with a neighboring country" -- referring to a hydropower dam beingbuilt on the Taping River by a Chinese company.

Clashes between the two sides erupted in the second week of June. Although there hasbeen no major fighting in recent days, there were reports of skirmishes in PutaoTownship, in the far north of the state, on Wednesday, suggesting that the conflict isspreading.

Despite the relative quiet that has prevailed so far this week, the number of refugeesfleeing the affected areas is still high. Many have crossed the border into China, butsome have already returned to Kachin State under pressure from the Chineseauthorities, according to Mai Ja of the Kachin Women's Association Thailand, one of thegroups assisting the refugees.

"Some refugees who are currently in China can't get food or medicine, so they will comeback to Kachin State," she said. "They are forced to stay in small rooms, and conditionsaren't very sanitary, so they are having health problems."

Most of the refugees in China are staying in the villages of Phin Chan, Loi Leng, JangFone, Naung Ang and Naung Tao in Yunnan Province's Yingjiang Township. Therefugees in Kachin State are receiving assistance from an umbrella group of seven localNGOs known as Wunpawng Ning Htoi ("Lights for the Kachin People").

Lower House speaker claims conflict in Kachin State 'has been solved' Mizzima , June 25, 2011Myo Thant

Lower House Speaker Thura Shwe Mann claimed Friday in a meeting with MPs inRangoon Region that the armed conflict between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)and Burmese government troops in Kachin State had been solved.

However, La Nang, a spokesperson for the KIA, said on Friday that it had not received acopy of an order stating that government troops have been ordered to stop fighting, arequest it raised on Monday. Until confirmation was received, fighting would continue,he said.



Speaker Thura Shwe Mann said that Thein Zaw, a Lower House MP for the MyitkyinaConstituency, had brokered a cease-fire.

However, reports on Monday indicated that the KIA was not satisfied with Thein's verbalguarantee of a cease-fire. Fighting between government troops and the KIA began onJune 9.

MP Phone Myint Aung, who attended the meeting, reported that the speaker said: 'Themediation of Thein Zaw led to a solution and that the relationship between the KIA andthe government has returned to the original state before the fighting began. He said theconflict has ended'.

On June 19, Thein Zaw, the former minister of Communications, Post, and TelegraphMinistry, sent a letter to the KIA saying that the government had ordered its troops tostop fighting.

La Nang said, 'As of Friday, we have not received a copy of any order stating a halt tothe fighting. Thein Zaw's verbal offer does not give us a guarantee for a cease-fire.'

'He can offer only a verbal promise. He is not a member of government. He is just anMP. So, we need official proof given by the government or the army. As of now we havenot received any formal proof', he said.

In Friday's meeting, Thura Shwe Mann urged MPs to be dutiful like Thein Zaw.In other business, Shwe Mann urged MPs to study Burma's laws so that they canmodify the laws if necessary.

Deputy Speaker Nanda Kyaw Swar, members of the Rangoon Region government,Rangoon Mayor Hla Myint, officials from the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambersof Commerce and Industry and more than 160 MPs in Rangoon and chief editors fromlocal journals attended the meeting.

After the meeting, Shwe Mann asked for questions, but no questions were asked. Aneditor said that officials who invited the journalists and MPs told them in advance not toask questions. The meeting was held from noon to 2 p.m. in Parliament Building onPyay Road in Rangoon.

Cease-fire talks with KIO move forward Mizzima , June 30, 2011Phanida

After a government negotiation team and KIO officials met on Thursday, a cease-fireagreement between the government and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)appeared to be close to being finalized.



A three-member government negotiation team led by Kachin State Border SecurityAffairs Minister Colonel Than Aung met with a six-member KIO team led by Vice Chief-of-Staff Brigadier General Gwam Mau at the KIO liaison office in Lajayan for about oneand half hours.

"They must still produce proof for a unilateral cease-fire order. Only after receiving thisproof, shall we issue a similar order to our troops on the frontline. Then we will sign acease-fire agreement with either the military or government representatives. Today'smeeting was a preliminary meeting for this agreement," KIO joint secretary La Nan toldMizzima.

"In today's meeting, we talked about resolving political issues through political means. Ithink this is a first step toward compromise shown by the government, unlike theprevious governments," he said.

The negotiating team said today that the government ordered a cease-fire on June 18,and it agreed to reopen the KIO liaison office in Myitkyina to provide regular contactbetween the two sides, KIO leaders said.

War broke out on June 9 and continued until Tuesday, when fighting tapered off.

The government team included State Government Border Security Affairs andDevelopment Minister Colonel Than Aung; Kachin National Consultative CouncilChairman Sin Wa Nau; Unity and Democracy Party Kachin State (UDPKS) member andUpper House MP Khet Htein Nan. General Staff Officer Grade (1) Colonel Tun Tun Ohnand Major Naing Lin of Military Affairs Security did not attend the meeting.

Government team leader Colonel Than Aung is an ethnic Rakhine, who has a goodreputation among Kachin. He was Strategic Command Commander in Phakant in 2008-09 and previously strategic command commander in the Northern Command. Hecontested in the 2010 general election and was appointed the Border Security AffairsMinister of Kachin State after winning in the election.

The government team was picked up by KIO security forces at a creek between ShweNyaung Pin and Garayan villages, about halfway from Myitkyina. About 10 soldiers fromthe government security forces were left at Lajayan camp.

"They seem to trust us when our security forces picked up their delegation. We believethey want to achieve a successful negotiation," La Nan said.

Regarding a possible ceasefire agreement, La Nan said, "It wholly depends on thesituation. If a nationwide dialogue is put on the table, then a nationwide cease-fire mightbe achieved and political stability could be restored."



Kachin chief minister organizes a group to broker cease-fire Mizzima , June 30, 2011Phanida

Kachin State Chief Minister Lajun Ngum Sai has organized a "peace making andnegotiation group" to broker a cease-fire between the Kachin Independence Army andthe government.

The group, organized on Monday, includes Sin Wa Naw, the chairman of KachinNational Consultative Assembly; Khak Htein Nang, an Upper House MP of the Unityand Democracy Party of Kachin State; and three Burmese officers, Security and BorderAffairs Minister Colonel Than Aung, Colonel Tun Tun Ohn of the Northern Commandand Major Naing Lin of the Military Investigation Department.

Sin Wa Naw said the government officers and KIO representatives will meet onThursday at Laja Yang, located on the Myitkyina-Laiza Road. "The first step is to endthe fighting. Then, we will try to organize a political dialogue," Sin Wa Naw told Mizzima.Sin Wa Naw said that he would give the KIO a letter from the government indicating thatit will not fire on the KIO unless it is fired upon.

He added, "If both sides engage in a lively give-and-take, the meeting will besuccessful; otherwise, fruitless. Give-and-take means the government needs toconsider accepting suggestions made by the KIO and reciprocally, the KIO needs toconsider the government's offer."

KIO joint secretary La Nang said the KIO would make a decision based on thediscussions within the negotiating group. "If they ask us to attend the meeting, we will.We will listen to what they say and analyze their objectives. Then will make a decision,"La Nang said.

On June 17, four representatives from the Kachin Consultative Assembly forwarded aletter to the KIO from Lower House MP Thein Zaw, member of the Union Solidarity andDevelopment Party, offering the KIO a cease-fire.The KIO doubted the authenticity ofthe offer because it did not include any official documents. On June 19, the KIO sent aletter to Thein Zaw asking for proof to show that government troops have been orderedto stop the military offensive against the KIO.

Ceasefire Talks Produce Old Rhetoric, No New Agreement The Irrawaddy , July 1, 2011Ba Kaung

At 9:30 a.m. On Thursday, the deputy military chief of the Kachin Independence Army(KIA), Brig-Gen Gun Maw, and a group of other high-ranking KIA officials gathered bythe roadside in Laja Yan Village, Kachin State. The village is located in an area the



ethnic armed group currently controls, but sits only a few kilometers from a deploymentof Burmese army troops, with whom the KIA has been engaged in deadly fighting for thelast three weeks since a 17-year long ceasefire broke down.

Dressed in light green camouflage fatigues, the soft-spoken Gun Maw and hiscomrades chatted in the Kachin language, occasionally breaking into laughter. Behindthem was a makeshift pavilion, constructed to hold the first direct talks betweenrepresentatives of the Burmese military and the KIA since clashes broke out betweenthe two sides on June 9. Nearby were plastic bags containing Johnny Walker whiskey:gifts for the Burmese delegation.

At 11:00 a.m., Col Than Aung, the Kachin State minister for border affairs, arrived at thepavilion with his entourage. He indicated from the start of the meeting that he wasdirectly representing the national government in Naypyidaw, not just the Kachin Stategovernment, by saying that, "Higher authorities and I talked over this conflict. Youunderstand who I am referring to, don't you?"

In what seemed to be an overture, he said that the KIA's liaison offices should bereopened so the KIA and the Burmese government could work together -- the KIA setup the offices in Kachin State's urban areas after the 1994 ceasefire was signed, but theBurmese government forced them to close late last year after the ethnic armed grouprejected Naypyidaw's order to transform itself into a member of the government's borderguard force (BGF) under the command of the Burmese army.

Than Aung also asked Gun Maw for a signed acknowledgement that the KIA would

renew the ceasefire, and asked the KIA officials to participate in the country's politicalprocess "in dignity."

These requests came despite the fact that Than Aung did not himself carry any officialdocument saying that the government would renew the ceasefire, and the fact that theBurmese military regime which in March was replaced by a nominally civiliangovernment forbid three Kachin political parties from participating in the parliamentaryelections last November on grounds that their leaders were linked to the KIA.

When Gun Maw asked Than Aung for formal evidence that the Burmese army wouldend hostile attacks against the KIA, Than Aung did not answer directly, saying he will

have to report to the higher authorities.

"We heard that the Burmese army was reinforcing its troops in Kachin State, some ofwhich have arrived by ship," Gun Maw said."No, that's not true," Than Aung replied. "All are at normal levels. This is the media age.We cannot hide anything."

Although Gun Maw and the other KIA officials at the meeting expressed a desire for aceasefire, they indicated that any agreement to halt fighting must come with tangiblepolitical reforms and compromise from the Naypyidaw government. In particular, he told



However, local sources said that tension remains high between the government troopsand the KIA forces.

Since fighting broke out between the two sides last month, the KIA has frequentlytargeted routes and bridges used by the Burmese army to transport supplies.

Meanwhile, war refugees from Kachin villages who fled their homes to Laiza to escapethe hostilities have mostly decided to stay in the town fearing that the ceasefire is fragileand that fighting could recur at any time. More than 10,000 Kachin refugees arecurrently in Laiza or in camps along the Sino-Burmese border.

With an estimated 10,000 fighters, the KIA is the second largest ethnic armed group inBurma. It signed a ceasefire agreement with the government in 1994; however, thetruce was broken in June and serious clashes have occurred on a near daily basissince.

Army Negotiator Pushes for Ceasefire, as State Media Blames KIA for Blasts The Irrawaddy , July 7, 2011Wai Moe

As Burma's military continues its calls on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to agreeto a ceasefire after nearly a month of hostilities, the country's state-run media hasaccused the group of carrying out a series of bombings targeting roads and bridges inKachin State.

According to intelligence sources, Col Than Aung, the Burmese army's chief negotiatorin the conflict, sent a letter to his Kachin counterpart, KIA vice chief of staff Brig-GenGun Maw, earlier this week urging the group to stop its warfare in the state. "We willcontinue to discuss this matter until we achieve peace," Than Aung was quoted bysources as saying in the letter.

The letter also said that both sides should refrain from carrying out attacks, includingbombings, and that the KIA should release government soldiers it is holding prisonerand avoid taking up position in government buildings.

In reply, the KIA said that it appreciated the government negotiator's concerns andagreed to repair a bridge that had been damaged by a recent explosion.

Meanwhile, Burma's state-run newspapers on Thursday accused the KIA of carrying outthree bombings between June 30 and July 5 that targeted roads, railways and bridgesin Kachin State. "KIA is committing mine explosions on motor roads, railroads andbridges for killing and wounding the people in Kachin State," The New Light of Myanmarsaid.



The KIA has denied that Kachin troops are targeting civilians, but has vowed to defendtheir "land and Kachin people" from any attack by the government army.

A 16-year-old ceasefire between the government and the KIA broke down on June 9after Burmese troops attacked the KIA near the Chinese-run hydropower station of TaPaing, forcing about 200 Chinese technicians and workers at the site to return to China.

Public tells KIO what it thinks about cease-fire Mizzima , July 12, 2011Phanida

What do you think? Fight? Negotiate? Peace? A public forum on negotiations for acease-fire between the Burmese government and the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO) took place at the KIO headquarters in Laiza on Tuesday.

KIO chairman Zawng Hra and other top leaders attended the forum. On Tuesdaymorning, Major General Gunhtang Gam Shawng, the KIO chief of staff, outlined theviews of the Burmese government and the recent warfare; in the afternoon, the publicexpressed their views and opinions.

"Our main objective is to make the people understand about the fighting. Then welistened to their opinions. We will take into account their opinions in carrying out our

job," said Major General Gunhtang Gam Shawng.

A wide range of people, totaling around 130, including representatives from RangoonRegion, Mandalay Region, Mohnyin, Mokaung, Myitkyina, Bhamo in Kachin State, andMuse, Lashio, Kutkhaing, Namphat in Shan State, leaders from Myitkyina ChristianCouncil, members from Kachin Consultative Council and representatives from YunnanProvince in China attended the forum, which will continue on Wednesday.

KIO joint secretary and central committee member La Nang told Mizzima that the KIOwould carry out its task in accordance with whatever resolution is approved by theforum.

"Some Kachin people want to fight against the government troops. Some want toachieve peace by negotiating a cease-fire. Most of them want to fight," said La Nang."The Kachin people rely on the KIO. Some people whom we did not invite attended theforum too. We found that most people don't like the government."

The fighting between KIO and Burmese government troops started June 9 near theTaping hydropower project area in Kachin State.



A Top Govt. Official Downplays Peace Proposal The Irrawaddy , July 27, 2011Wai Moe

Burma's Election Commission Chairman ex-Lt-Gen Tin Aye downplayed ethnic minorityparties' calls for "peace talks" over ongoing conflicts during a meeting in Naypyidaw onWednesday.

According to leaders of ethnic parties who attended the meeting, Tin Aye was askedabout the possibility of peace talks to stop fighting between government troops andethnic armed groups in Kachin and Shan states. However, the leading governmentofficial apparently replied "no," saying that the Election Commission did not have anyauthority on the issue.

"The Shan Party [Shan Nationalities Development Party] and other ethnic partiesrepresenting Chin, Karen and Inn people proposed a serious discussion on 'peace.' Andthen other ethnic parties plus pro-democracy representatives at the meeting supportedthe proposal for peace talks," said Aye Maung, chairman of the Rakhine NationalitiesDevelopment Party.

"Then U Tin Aye replied that the issue has to be discussed at the Hluttaw [Parliament],"said Aye Maung. "U Tin Aye said he also wants peace," he added.

The meeting's main agenda was regarding by-elections for more than 40 constituencieswhich are expected to be held late this year. The Election Commission called 37political parties to the meeting in Naypyidaw.

In past three months of President Thein Sein's new administration, fresh armed conflictshave occurred in Kachin and Shan states where there were previously ceasefireagreements for 16 and 22 years respectively.While the Burmese Army's presence have been increased in conflict zones, both thegovernment and the ethnic armed groups of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) andShan State Army (SSA) have discussed ceasefire talks.

However, negotiations have not been successful. Ethnic groups complained that thegovernment only sent low profile negotiators for the discussions saying that they could

not guarantee "genuine ceasefire agreements and peace" in the union.

La Nan, joint-secretary of the KIA's political wing the Karen Independence Organisation,told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the government's negotiator, Col Than Aung --Kachin State's minister for security and border affairs -- contacted him frequently overthe weekend regarding a ceasefire agreement.

"The government last called about a ceasefire on Sunday. But they have to offer moreguarantees for a long-term ceasefire for peace and stability in the state," he said. "Ourtroops report that the government's militarization has not been decreased."



Meanwhile, the Naypyitaw government has pursued a policy that calls for the country tohave only one army. So far, senior government officials in Naypyitaw have not publiclydiscussed the recent fighting in ethnic areas, according to sources close to officials.Political parties have had little success in trying to discuss the issue in Parliament.Some political parties, such as Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, haverepeatedly called for dialogue and national reconciliation.

In her letter, Suu Kyi said, "On my part I am prepared, and pledge, to do everything inmy power towards the cessation of armed conflicts and building peace in the Union."

Win Tin, a NLD central executive committee member, said, "Now, the country is in thehorrors of a civil war. Discussions and negotiations with regard to these affairs arealways essential."

Major Sai Lao Hseng of the Shan State Army (SSA) said, "On behalf of all ethnicpeople, if Aung San Suu Kyi calls for a nationwide cease-fire from the government andmediates, we will welcome it. We hope for that too."

Fighting has continued in Shan and Kachin states until Tuesday. Many schools havebeen closed. Earlier, the SSA said Burmese government military aircraft droppedbombs on its troops. The reports could not be confirmed by outside sources.

Despite negotiations to reach a cease-fire agreement between the KIO and theBurmese government, often via mail or e-mail, there has been no significant let up in thefighting. More than 16,000 war refugees are in need of aid and medicine, according to aKIO health department official.

Similarly, in Karen State, continuing clashes have taken place until this week, with bothsides firing heavy artillery. Government troops ordered villagers in Myawaddy Townshipnot to go outside the village after it learned that DKBA Major General Bo Moustache'stroops were active near Myawaddy.

The All Mon Region Democracy Party chairman, Nai Ngwe Thein, said, "We want peacevia any means. We don't want fighting against each otherÉ"

On Thursday, in a meeting between the Union Election Commission and 37 political

parties, the Mon, Arakanese, Phalon-Sawaw, Shan and Chin ethnic parties all urged theauthorities to set up a peace-making commission. In response to their call, the EUcommission chairman Tin Aye said the parties should introduce the issue in Parliament.

Saw Bi Kyin Oo, the secretary of the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party, said, "Peace hasnot been established in Karen State. Fighting has broken out frequently. People cannotlive peacefully. The fighting enters the villages. Under the circumstances, the mostimportant thing we need is peace."



SSA North not left out in the cold: Spokesman Shan Herald Agency for News , July 28, 2011

The expected signing of a ceasefire agreement between its ally Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO) and the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)government does not necessarily mean the Shan State Progress Party / Shan StateArmy (SSPP/SSA), better known as the SSA North, will be left alone to fight the BurmaArmy, according to the movement's spokesman Maj Sai La.

"Sao Yawdserk (SSA "South") and the Karen National Union (KNU) have been fightingfor a long time and I haven't heard they are about to give up anytime soon," he toldSHAN.

The SSPP/SSA and the KIO / KIA are two of the 12 members of the United NationalitiesFederal Council (UNFC) set up in February to seek a political resolution and to form afederal army. The KIO currently holds the chair.

"I also believe the KIO, as the leader of the UNFC, will not be out to save its own skin,"he explained, spurning comments that the SSA, outmanned and outgunned, will be leftalone to face the music.

The Kachin News Group reported yesterday that the KIO and Naypyitaw, representedby its Kachin State Government, was on the verge of signing a ceasefire agreement.The signing however has been delayed because signatories designated by Naypyitawwere "not acceptable" to the KIO.

"The KIO's other condition is that a political dialogue follows the ceasefire," KNG editorNaw Din explained. "And it wants the UNFC to negotiate not only in the interests ofKachins but all the ethnic nationalities."

The UNFC's Vice President Abel Tweed yesterday exhorted its other principal membersKaren National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), New MonState Party (NMSP) and Chin National Front (CNF) to wage a united war against "TheinSein government's army."

The attacking Burma Army had also sent two Shan monks to discuss "peace" with the

SSA North at its headquarters Wanhai last Monday, 25 July. The meeting ended withoutreaching any agreement. "The Burma Army doesn't want to suspend the hostilities," SaiLa charged. "The offer was only a ruse. It probably is having an internal problem. In anycase, the preparations for the final assault (on Wanhai) apparently are not completeyet."

He compares Wanhai to a hive of bees or hornets. "We want the Burma Army to knowthat if the hive is destroyed, the bees and the hornets will run amok all over the placeand may sting anyone," he cautioned. "It may not be located on the border like Laizaand may be easier to occupy, but it is still a hive of bees and hornets."



Two clashes were reported between the two sides, one in Hsipaw's Mongla and anotherin Kung Zarm, Monghsu yesterday. Villagers also reported the bridge over the Nammai,6 miles north of Monghsu, was demolished by an unknown armed group, probably theSSA North.

Gov't sends KIO cease-fire agreement; KIO calls for nationwide cease-fire Mizzima , July 29, 2011Phanida

In reply to a point-by-point cease-fire proposal sent to the Kachin IndependenceOrganization (KIO) on Wednesday, the KIO has demanded a national wide cease-firewithin 15 days.

In its reply to the cease-fire offer from the government, KIO spokesman La Nan saidthat the government must stop all offensives in Kachin and Shan states within 48 hoursafter signing the cease-fire agreement and it must announce a cease-fire across thecountry and implement a political dialogue within 15 days. The KIO sent its reply toBorder Affairs minister and negotiation team member Than Aung by e-mail.

"We shall sign only if the agreement has concrete facts and conditions," said KIO jointsecretary and spokesman La Nan.

Meanwhile, the KIO welcomed an open letter sent by Burmese pro-democracy leaderAung San Suu Kyi on Thursday calling for a nationwide cease-fire and negotiations.

In its reply letter, the KIO demanded that the government prepare a cease-fireagreement to be signed by both sides in Burmese and English. It also asked forclarification of President Thein Sein's views on the 1947 Panglong Agreement thatcalled for equality and autonomy for ethnic groups.

Government representative Sim Wah Nau acknowledged the receipt of the KIO replyletter.

He told Mizzima: "We changed the points mentioned in their reply. We told them wealso wanted to draft the agreement in English and that obligations on the PanglongAgreement could be deliberated later."

He said that the government will arrange a signing ceremony to be held at a placedesignated by the KIO and the ceremony will be attended by governmentrepresentatives, Kachin Christian church leaders, local elders and Kachin cultural andliterary organization members totaling about 60 people. Kachin State government ChiefMinister Lajun Ngam Sai said he would invite state-run media and private domesticmedia to the signing ceremony.



According to Kachin political sources, MP Thein Zaw, a member of the Union Solidarityand Development Party (USDP), said he would hold an anti-war rally if the KIO did notsign the cease-fire agreement. Sim Wah Nau warned the KIO that there would beunrest if it refused to sign.

"We will hold a mass rally if the KIO refuses to sign the agreement, and the people willblame the KIO. We are waiting only for a KIO nod to sign this agreement. There will begrowing unrest by the people if they refuse to sign," Sim Wah Nau said.

The government-backed USDP has orchestrated similar anti-KIO mass rallies in thepast. Local people were made to attend the rallies at the behest of the authorities.

New-generation war in Myanmar Asia Times , August 3, 2011Tony Cliffhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/MH03Ae02.html

August 3, 2011

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