Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Artillery Attack Killed 23 Officer Cadets

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Artillery Attack Killed 23 Officer Cadets


By KLN
hkrat-sum-mat-ai-hpyendu-shalat-jawng-ma-ni
Burmese army’s 105 mm mortar attack on Wednesday killed 23 officer cadets from KIA’s officer training school at Woi Chyai Bum near Laiza. 18 other cadets were seriously wounded by the point-blank artillery fires from Burmese army positions at Hka Ya Bum, Bumre and Dumbang Bum.
Officer cadets were in tactical training session when a 105 mm mortar shell fell on them. 21 officer cadets died immediately after the attack and two cadets were later died at Mung Lai Hkyet Hospital in Laiza.


22 Dead as Burma Army Fires on Kachin Military Academy, Kachin Say

RANGOON — Twenty-two ethnic Kachin soldiers were killed and 15 others wounded when Burmese troops fired on a rebel base in Laiza on Wednesday, rebel officers confirmed.
La Nan, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is headquartered in Laiza, told The Irrawaddy by phone that “22 military academic trainees died and 15 were injured due to artillery shelling by the government [military base] at Hkayabum.”
All of the injured are currently being treated at Laiza General Hospital.
The soldiers were all under 30 years of age and were training for combat in a rebel base at Jawng Rung.
La Nan said that the fighting is still ongoing in some areas and described the Laiza encounter as an “ambush.”
“Government troops attacked with artillery. At 12:15pm, Light Infantry Battalion No. 390 attacked with 105mm [caliber ammunition]. At 12:36pm, Hkarabum Infantry No. 389 shot a 105mm into the military academy,” he said, adding that the academy is within close range of a camp for internally displaced persons (IDP).
A military official representing the northern command of the Burma Army in Myitkyina could not offer any confirmation or further details as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We need to find out what is going on on the ground. We can’t provide any detailed information at the moment,” the officer said on condition of anonymity.
At least two other offensives against KIA soldiers were reported this week in Kachin and Shan states.
KIA sources said that clashes beginning on Monday left one dead in northern Shan State, while fighting that erupted in Kachin State’s Hopin Township continues after causing one casualty.
Fighting has continued in northern Burma’s Kachin State since a government offensive led to the breakdown of a 17-year ceasefire in mid-2011. More than 100,000 people have been displaced by the conflict to date, many living in isolated and impoverished IDP camps.
The KIA is one of Burma’s only major ethnic armed groups that has not secured a bilateral ceasefire with the government as negotiators continue to push for a nationwide pact.
By http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/22-dead-burma-army-fires-kachin-military-academy-rebels-say.html

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Kachin CSOs Urge President Obama to Voice Their Concerns

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By KLN
2011_State_of_the_Union_Obama by whitehouse
Kachin Civil Societies in a letter dated Nov 10 call for US President Obama to support peace process, to call upon Burma President Thein Sein and his ruling party to amend constitution, and to refrain from giving legitimacy and prestige through premature military engagement.
President Obama is due to arrive in Naypyidaw on Thursday to participate in the Ninth East Asia Summit and U.S. – ASEAN Summit. This is his second visit to Burma. President Obama will hold bilateral meetings with President Thein Sein and Opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during his two-day stay in Burma.
In the letter addressed to President Obama, Kachin Civil Societies said, “Humanitarian assistance is still needed for Kachin IDPs until they can return safely home.” They also reminded that return and resettlement of IDPs should be done only when conditions are met to ensure safety. “Foreign investment policies should support the peace process, not exacerbate the conflict,” the letter mentioned. Kachin Peace Network organized Kachin Civil Societies organizations from around the world to cosign the joint letter.
The ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Rubio and Kirk, shared their concerns about Burma’s trajectory in a letter last week. “The Burmese Government has failed to fulfill nearly all commitments to measurably improve Burma’s human rights and nonproliferation practices, made between you and President Thein Sein during your November 2012 visit,” said Rubio and Kirk.
Kachin Alliance, a network of Kachin communities and organizations in US, also expressed similar concerns. “Although we applaud the Burmese government for some progressive actions it has taken, we must denounce its inactivity or unwillingness to curb the violence being committed against unarmed civilians in the Kachin area and other parts of the country,” said in a letter dated Nov 7.
Gum San Nsang, the president of Kachin Alliance said, “We see this trip as a chance to strengthen the relationship with Government of Burma and also reinforce the administration’s commitment to national reconciliation and democratic transition process.” He continued, “I’d like to say to President Obama to use calibrated approach when utilizing sanctions and aids to incentivize national reconciliation.”
Gum San said he told Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes and Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski in Kachin Alliance’s meetings with US officials that if Government of Burma has genuine intention to resolve the longest civil war in the world, it would invite diverse international observers including US to current ceasefire talks. “Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement without addressing code of conducts and joint monitoring mechanism is not an international norm. Our Kachin public is bearing the brunt of protracted civil war, but we are determined to wait until equitable arrangement come into fruition,” said Gum San.