Junta’s Shells Intended for KIO HQ in Laiza, again land on Chinese Side of the Border with Kachin State

Junta’s Shells Intended for KIO HQ in Laiza, again land on Chinese Side of the Border with Kachin State

Two artillery shells, fired by the Military Council towards  Laiza, the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), exploded on the Chinese side of the border, Laiza residents said.

At this sensitive time in China relations with the Junta in the aftermath of the string of military losses along the Shan- China border to ‘Operation 1027’, shells that explode on Chinese soil, does not help to soothe their troubled relations with Beijing.

On December 6th, the Military Council troops stationed at Hpun Pyen Bum near Laiza carried out the shelling directed at Laiza, despite the absence of any ongoing conflict in the vicinity. a Laiza resident told KNG, "We heard that artillery shells exploded near a car wash service on the Chinese side, but there were no casualties”.

Although none was injured on the Chinese side, almost every time the Myanmar military launches an offensive against the KIA/KIO headquarters in Laiza, the erratic targeting leads to shells exploding inside China.

Laiza residents have reported many incidents of artillery shells fired by the Military Council landing on the Chinese side. On November 4th, four shells unleashed by the Military Council exploded in Chinese territory, resulting in the death of one Chinese citizen and injuries to two others. After that incident, Chinese citizens were evacuated from the areas surrounding Laiza, and there have been no further reports of casualties.

"The Chinese side bordering Laiza is nearly deserted now—everyone has fled. That's why there were no casualties in the recent artillery shell explosion”, a local said.

At midnight on November 30th, Laiza was shelled by the Military Council, and following the capture of the regime's Kantawyang military base, the Military Council continued frequent artillery shelling on Laiza.

Since early June, the Military Council had been on the offensive, aiming to establish a foothold in Namsanyang, near Laiza, but faced frequent setbacks in executing effective operations in a span of five months.

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