Clashes erupted between the Tatmadaw and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army South earlier this week, violating the terms of the nationwide ceasefire agreement to which both groups are party.
Residents on the southern side of the Taunggyi-Kentung Road in Kunhing township say they heard gunfire as the skirmish erupted on November 19.
“We heard the sound of gunfire from both sides,” one local elder said. He added that he has not had any reports of the fighting affecting the public through injuries or arrests.
State Hluttaw MP Sai Aung Kyaw Oo from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) said the RCSS/SSA has long been active in that part of Kunhing township. By his account the skirmish was brief.
“The gunshots were only fired for around 15 minutes. Residents of Nam Par Mann Village were not allowed to go to Wan Ton. The Tatmadaw column stopped them,” he said. “The RCSS/SSA said they did not fired at the Tatmadaw column.”
Although sources close to the Tatmadaw’s Kunhing column confirmed the skirmish, the Shan Herald was unable to get an official comment from the Tatmadaw in response to the skirmish.
The Kengtung-based 569th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB-569) and the Tar Kaw Ho Tant-based 296th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB-296) have been conducting territorial clearance operations in this area since early November, according to local residents and sources.
The RCSS/SSA-S is one of the eight signatories to the NCA. The pact has previously broken down between the RCSS and the Tatmdaw, leading to clashes in October 2016 as well.
