The Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army – North (SSPP/SSA-N) has denied the Burma Army’s accusation of attacking its troops while they were destroying opium fields in Mong-Hsu Township in southern Shan State and claimed that the Burma Army attacked first and then put the blame on them.
“It’s an act of defamation to release the announcement in the state-owned newspaper. The announcement was fabricated. The skirmish area is not related to the opium fields. The Burma Army’s 379th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB-379) attacked our base with heavy weapons and released the announcement to get a good reputation. The public knows well about this operation,” said Major Phone Han, spokesperson of the SSPP/SSA-N.
State-owned Kyemon newspaper reported on 22 January that SSA/Wan-Hai group attacked a combined team of Burmese military troops, police, departmental staff, and the public with heavy and light weapons while they were destroying opium fields in Mong-Hsu.
After making the accusations, the Burma Army reinforced its troops near the SSPP/SSA-N’s headquarters Wan-Hai. Two MIG-29 jetfighters have been seen flying three or four times around Wan-Hai headquarters and over Kye-thi, Mong-Hsu, and Tang Yang townships, where the SSA-N bases are located, according to officials from Wan Hai headquarters
The three townships have been preparing for the upcoming by-election, which will be held on 1 April.
The Burma Army attacked SSPP/SSA-N outpost near Wang Pan Nga Village between Mong San and Mong Hsu, around three miles south of Mong Hsu, on 21 January.
Both sides suffered from casualties during the clash.
The SSPP/SSA-N has not signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement but it has signed the union-level and state-level ceasefire.
Translated by Thida Linn
