Lieutenant-Colonel Naw Buu, the information officer for the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the KIA said: “They fired heavy weapons on the 13th of this month [September]. They rested on the 14th and fired [heavy weapons] again from the 15th to the 17th. It’s been over three days now, skirmishes have been breaking out continuously. I heard that a skirmish broke out at 9.45 this morning [18 September] at Nhkram Bum where KIA mobile battalion 252 is stationed but I don’t have all the details yet. There was a ground battle, they opened fire with 60 mm, 80 mm, 120 mm and 105 mm calibre artillery and heavy weapons.”

Burma Army Light infantry Battalion 381 (LIB-381), which was stationed near to the fighting in Nhkram Bum has been joined by Burma Army Infantry Battalions 29, 50 and 260 (IB-29, IB-50, IB-260).

Lt-Col Naw Buu said that detailed casualty lists for both sides were not yet available but that he believed that the KIA had suffered no casualties, whereas the Burma Army had suffered some casualties.

He also added: “Heavy fighting broke out in three states after the end of the 21st Century Panglong Conference. I do not believe that its [the 21st Century Panglong Conference] aim is internal peace. It will be a little difficult to attain political dialogue and internal peace.”

Within the last month there has ben heavy fighting in Karen State, northern Shan State and Kachin State.

The KIO/KIA signed a ceasefire with the Burmese government in 1994. However in 2011, after 17 years of ceasefire fighting between the two sides resumed.

Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI