Fighting between the Burmese Army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) recently broke out after their 17-year ceasefire agreement.
The Irrawaddy senior reporter Wai Moe interviews La Nan, the joint-secretary of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), to determine the immediate situation in northern Burma.
Question: How did the recent fighting begin?Answer: At around 3 am on June 9, government troops started firing heavy weapons and approached our camp. We shot back at them at around 7 am and ceased firing at 11:45 am. They, however, continued firing at us until 12:30 pm. The fighting that day ended then and the exchange of prisoners of war (POW) followed. Tensions rose again on 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 Tarh Pin River in Momauk Township of Bhamo District in Kachin State. The shooting is still going 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 that one of our men who was captured by the other side was beaten to death. So, two wounded and one POW that day, but the POW was already killed by the time he was returned to us. His whole body was covered by wounds and his face was swollen so badly 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 title correctly—whether he is a captain or a major. He was given the salary of a major and was soon to become deputy commander of a battalion. Also, one captain and eight soldiers [on the government side] were wounded.
On June 10, three soldiers from our side died. They [government troops] used heavy weapons so we had to stay inside bunkers and fought back from there. Our soldiers died by pieces of shrapnel from a shell that hit a tree above their bunker. We have no other causalities. We heard many soldiers from their side were wounded.
Residents in Momauk and Bhamo told us that wounded soldiers were taken to hospitals there and were under guard. They said around 30 soldiers were admitted to hospitals on the first day of fighting. Clashes went on the whole day on June 11 and 12 so I guess that, 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 this true?
A: No, it wasn't like that. On June 9, one of our members, who was assigned in our liaison office located near the hydropower plant in Hsan Gan, was arrested by government authorities. He was then beaten and killed, and his body was left in front of our 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 wanted—which involves arrests, beatings and killings.
So we became very much concerned about the safety of our members living in our main and liaison offices in Myitkyina. Thus, we withdrew them overnight on June 10. The government 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. When clashes broke out, our office in Myitkyina took care of communications between the KIO and the government's Northern Command. Our staff in the Myitkyina office are in [the government] 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.
The Irrawaddy senior reporter Wai Moe interviews La Nan, the joint-secretary of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), to determine the immediate situation in northern Burma.
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| Kachin Independence Army (KIA) |
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 that one of our men who was captured by the other side was beaten to death. So, two wounded and one POW that day, but the POW was already killed by the time he was returned to us. His whole body was covered by wounds and his face was swollen so badly 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 title correctly—whether he is a captain or a major. He was given the salary of a major and was soon to become deputy commander of a battalion. Also, one captain and eight soldiers [on the government side] were wounded.
On June 10, three soldiers from our side died. They [government troops] used heavy weapons so we had to stay inside bunkers and fought back from there. Our soldiers died by pieces of shrapnel from a shell that hit a tree above their bunker. We have no other causalities. We heard many soldiers from their side were wounded.
Residents in Momauk and Bhamo told us that wounded soldiers were taken to hospitals there and were under guard. They said around 30 soldiers were admitted to hospitals on the first day of fighting. Clashes went on the whole day on June 11 and 12 so I guess that, 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 this true?
A: No, it wasn't like that. On June 9, one of our members, who was assigned in our liaison office located near the hydropower plant in Hsan Gan, was arrested by government authorities. He was then beaten and killed, and his body was left in front of our 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 wanted—which involves arrests, beatings and killings.
So we became very much concerned about the safety of our members living in our main and liaison offices in Myitkyina. Thus, we withdrew them overnight on June 10. The government 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. When clashes broke out, our office in Myitkyina took care of communications between the KIO and the government's Northern Command. Our staff in the Myitkyina office are in [the government] 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.