Ethnic Affairs & Conflict
Documenting ongoing conflicts in Burma's ethnic areas & setbacks to the peace process
APRIL
29 APR 2019
On 26 April, a two-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy were killed when a landmine exploded in Mong Pan village, Namkhan Township, Shan State. Eight more children, all under eight years of age, were injured during the explosion. The children were playing in the village after returning home from the fields with their families. Locals suspect the mine was left behind during a clash between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Tatmadaw near the village last year. Irrawaddy
29 APR 2019
The Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North (SSPP/SSA-N) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) entered peace talks ahead of the SSPP/SSA-N's 55th anniversary celebration. The two armies have been fighting over territory in northern Shan State since late 2018, displacing thousands of people. Myanmar Times
25 APR 2019
In spite of a unilateral ceasefire, Tatmadaw soldiers from notorious "shock-troop" Light Infantry Divison (LID) 99 captured the headquarters of Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Battalion 36 near Howa village, Muse Township, Shan State on 22 April following three days of fighting. Soldiers from other battalions under LID 99 also clashed with KIA troops in Manjang village, Kutkai Township on 18 April, near KIA Battalion 9's headquarters in Dima. These clashes occured before scheduled peace talks between the Kachin Independence Organization and the Tatmadaw on 30 April. BNI
17 APR 2019
On 17 April, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) held a celebration to honor the 30th anniversary of the ceasefire with the government and the subsequent establishment of the Wa Self-Administered Division in Shan State. Aung San Suu Kyi did not attend the event but sent a letter encouraging UWSA to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, which the group has rejected in favor of demands for an ethnic Wa State. The success of the UWSA in achieving autonomy has become a model for the demands of other ethnic armed groups like the Arakan Army. SHAN
10 APR 2019
The Karen National Union (KNU) announced plans to meet with representatives from the National Reconciliation and Peace Center and the Tatmadaw in Naypyidaw on 11 and 12 April in an attempt to restart peace talks. These meetings will be the first since the KNU suspended participation in the peace process in October 2018. Myanmar Times
08 APR 2019
Two Tatmadaw soldiers shot and killed seven civilians, including three children, in Anan Kwin Village, Kyainnseikyi Township, Karen/Kayin State on 5 April. The soldiers attacked the two families after they refused to give the two men a motorbike. The Tatmadaw arrested both soldiers and said it would take action against both of them, but it is unclear what charges they will face or if compensation will be paid to the surviving family members. Irrawaddy
04 APR 2019
A farmer was arbitrarily detained and beaten by troops from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Battalion 520 while traveling home in Mongpan Township, Shan State on 25 March. 44-year-old Loong Kaew was stopped by the soldiers at Ho Kho Bridge and beaten with a rifle butt after he denied being a member of a Shan ethnic armed organization. He was handed over to the police, who released him after the Wan Koong Kaeng village leader confirmed he was not a Shan soldier. SHRF
03 APR 2019
The Tatmadaw discharged seven children and 25 young people recruited before they were 18 years old on 31 March according to a True News Agency statement. This is the first release of child soldiers this year. The Tatmadaw has discharged 956 child soldiers since signing a Joint Action Plan with the UN in 2012. Myanmar Times
01 APR 2019
On 30 March, three people were killed and four were injured by a landmine explosion while they were tending crops in Mann Lee/Manli village, Namtu Township, Shan State. The 15-year-old boy that stepped on the bomb was the son of one of the men released by the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South just one day before. Villagers believe the landmine was planted by one of the ethnic armed groups active in the area during clashes in early March, though no one has taken responsibility. Irrawaddy
MARCH
28 MAR 2019
Five leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) were charged with violating the Unlawful Associations Act in Sagaing Region on 26 March. The men were detained by the military on 9 March during a raid on the NSCN-K liaison office after a planned meeting to discuss options for peace with civil society groups in Khamti. The Tatmadaw accused the armed group of allowing Indian rebel groups to operate in their territory. Irrawaddy
28 MAR 2019
On 27 March, soldiers from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Battalions 256 and 252 launched an attack on soldiers from the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army-North near Mong Mu and San Kha villages in Namtu Township, Shan State. The Tatmadaw used a helicopter to continue the assault the next day. Two houses burned down in Mong Mu village and over 200 civilians were displaced during the clash. RFA
27 MAR 2019
On 26 March, a man organized a solo demonstration in Hsipaw, Shan State to protest the ongoing clashes Shan and Arakan/Rakhine States. Nyi Latt also called for the cancellation of the Myitsone Dam project. He said he sought permission for his protest because "[he doesn't] want to see the suffering of women and children. Shan State’s chief minister needs to raise his voice against it.” SHAN
26 MAR 2019
On 24 March, a 60-year-old villager was shot and killed by crossfire during a clash between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-N (SSPP/SSA-N) near Mongmu Village, Namtu Township, Shan State. Lon Ta Lane was returning home from the market with his son when he was killed. The RCSS/SSA-S called for a ceasefire with the SSPP/SSA-N on 21 March but locals say both armies are reinforcing troops in the area. SHAN
21 MAR 2019
The government met with delegates from the political wings of eight ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) in Naypyidaw on 21 March. The two sides agreed to hold regular meetings to try to resolve their political differences. However, NRPC chairman Tin Myo Win warned that the Arakan Army's attempt to "establish a foothold in the white area [run by the government] is a threat to the peace and security of the country". RFA
19 MAR 2019
Hundreds of ethnic Ta'ang marched in Lashio, Shan State to demand the halt of human rights abuses and secure the release of 12 missing villagers from Manli Village. A representative from the Ta'ang Women's Organization said that they believe that the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South abducted the 12 Ta'ang men in early March following a clash with the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army. BNI
18 MAR 2019
Khin Theint Theint Tun, a spokesperson for the Lishaw ethnic group, said that the Ta'ang National Liberation Army was responsible for abducting dozens of Lishaw children for ransom. During her press conference, she said families would often have to pay K3 to K5 million (about US$2,000-$3,300). Between the end of 2008 and 6 March 2019, only 29 of the 44 kidnapped Lishaw people were released. Myanmar Times
18 MAR 2019
Two Kachin men were severely beaten by Tatmadaw soldiers in two separate incidents in mid-March. On 12 March, Hpaugun Tang Mai was interrogated, blindfolded, and beaten by soldiers in Kutkai Township, Shan State following a battle with the Kachin Independence Army the day before. On 14 March, Lashi Send Li was arrested, stabbed multiple times, and beaten by soldiers near Nawng Mi village, Hpakant Township, Kachin State. Both men appear to be randomly targeted. Kachinland News
14 MAR 2019
On 12 March, a 25-year-old man was shot in the neck during a gunfire exchange in Nam Maw Lon village, Hsipaw Township, Shan State. He was taken to Hsipaw hospital and witnesses say his condition is not critical. It is not known which armed groups were involved in the clash, though the Tatmadaw, the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South, and the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North are all active in the area. SHAN
13 MAR 2019
Fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) intensified in Kutkai Township, Shan State on 12 March as the newest attack entered its second day. Soldiers from KIA Brigades 4 and 6 fought about 200 soliders from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Division (LID) 99 near Na Hkyem, Ka Leng, and Dan villages. Tatmadaw LID 99 is notorious for being one of the "shock troops" involved in the attacks on the Rohingya in Arakan State last year. BNI
13 MAR 2019
About 545 people took refuge in two monasteries in Kesi Township, Shan State after Tatmadaw forces used helicopter gunships to attack a Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North camp on 10 March. The two armies fought on the border of Hsipaw, Kesi, and Mongkai townships for four days before the airstrike was launched. BNI
12 MAR 2019
On 11 March, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) released 57 sugarcane plantation workers that were detained by the army for "interrogation" on 4 March in Man Phang village, Kutkai Township, Shan State. Ten detainees had previously escaped. Locals suspect that the KIA had intended to forcibly recruit the workers, most of whom are ethnic Ta'ang and Lahu. RFA
11 MAR 2019
On 9 March, a woman was shot in the leg during a skirmish between the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Tatmadaw in Mong Ngor, Kyaukme Township, Shan State. Nang Kham La was headed to the market when she got caught in the crossfire of the TNLA's surprise attack. SHAN
11 MAR 2019
The Peace Process Steering Committee (PPST) announced that General Mutu Say Poe of the Karen National Union and General Yawd Serk of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South stepped down from their posts during a press conference on 7 March. Other changes to the PPST leadership structure will be discussed during the next summit in May. The PPST is made up of the 10 ethnic armed organizations that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. BNI
08 MAR 2019
The Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army - South (RCSS/SSA-S) is suspected of detaining 10 men from Mann Lee/Mangli village in Namtu Township, Shan State on 1 March following a clash with rival ethnic armed groups. The Ta’ang Women’s Organization and the Ta’ang Students and Youth Union claim that a phone left at the scene contained photos of the missing men tied up and blindfolded with armed men standing behind them. Locals later identified the armed men as members of the RCSS/SSA-S. Irrawaddy
08 MAR 2019
On 5 March, Tatmadaw troops attacked soldiers from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in two separate incidents in Kutkai Township, Shan State. This is the third clash with the KIA and the fifth clash with the TNLA since the Tatmadaw announced the four-month unilateral ceasefire in December last year. BNI
08 MAR 2019
The military transported 29 internally displaced families from IDP camps to Nam Sang Yan village, Waingmaw Township, Kachin State on 5 March. Tatmadaw soldiers previously accompanied 17 IDP families to Nam Sang Yan on 30 January. However, aid worker Hpaula Gam Hpang said only seven of the 29 families can return to their original homes, as the other houses were destroyed. BNI
08 MAR 2019
On 1 March, representatives from the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) met with Chinese government officials in Ruili, Yunnan Province to discuss the ongoing conflict in Kachin State. KBC staff claimed that the officials offered to give as much as ¥120,000 (US$20,000) to any internally displaced Kachin family that chose to return to their hometown. The officials also threatened to close the border in Yunnan unless the Kachin Independence Army agrees to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. RFA
07 MAR 2019
A five-year-old boy was taken to the hospital in Lashio, Northern Shan State on 6 March after he was hit in the head by shrapnel during a clash near his village two days earlier. The Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South fought with the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army near Loi Nguen village. Over 600 people, including the injured boy and his family, took refuge in monasteries in nearby Mangli village, Namtu Township. More than 2,400 people were displaced by the fighting so far. SHAN
FEBRUARY
27 FEB 2019
On 26 February, shortly after peace talks with the Northern Alliance were held in China, a convoy of Tatmadaw vehicles were spotted leaving Myitkyina for Putao in northern Kachin State. Witnesses reported that the nearly 100 trucks appeared to be carrying food and weapons. The military's four-month unilateral ceasefire announced in December 2018 covers this command area, though troop reinforcements and supplies have increased during this period. BNI
27 FEB 2019
The Union Peace Commission held a four-hour informal meeting with the members of the Northern Alliance of ethnic armed organizations in Kunming, China on 25 February. The Peace Commission pushed for the Northern Alliance members to sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement as soon as possible, but the armed groups proposed that the military sign bilateral ceasefires with each of the groups first. No final decisions were made, though both parties agreed to meet again in March. RFA
26 FEB 2019
During a press conference in Rangoon/Yangon on 23 February, Tatmadaw spokesperson Maj Gen Soe Naing Oo reiterated the military's position that it will only leave politics "when there is no ethnic armed organization and the country is in peace." He continued by urging the armed groups to "abandon their arms" and join the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. However, the ethnic armed groups argue that the military's inability to compromise and address their political demands has stymied the peace process. Irrawaddy
22 FEB 2019
The National Peace and Reconciliation Center announced that it will hold an informal meeting with the Northern Alliance of ethnic armed groups on 24 February in Kunming, China. This is the first time the government has agreed to meet the Northern Alliance as a coalition. Members of the Northern Alliance include the Kachin Independence Organization/Army, Ta'ang National Liberation Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and Arakan Army. None of these groups are signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Myanmar Times
21 FEB 2019
On 20 February, troops from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Battalion 10 clashed with Kachin Independence Army soldiers from Battalion 9. The clash took place in Lai Ba Zung village, Kutkai Township, Shan State. No casualties were reported. Kachinland News
Editorial Note: This battle took place in an area covered by the Tatmadaw's four month unilateral ceasefire.
21 FEB 2019
On 18 February, soldiers from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Battalion 361 shot and killed an ethnic Ta'ang teenager near his village in Kutkai Township, Shan State. Seventeen-year old Mai Aike Zaup was returning home from a pagoda festival with a friend when he encountered soldiers. The military apologized for mistaking the boys for members of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and offered 2 million kyat (about US $1,311) in compensation to Mai Aike Zaup's family. Irrawaddy
19 FEB 2019
On 16 February, 50-year-old Lon Ti, the headman of Nam Maw Lon village, was killed by a landmine while walking along the road to Nam Maw Sung village, Hsipaw Township, Shan State. His two companions were severely injured and rushed to the hospital in Lashio. It is unknown which armed group laid the mine. SHAN
18 FEB 2019
The bodies of three ethnic Daingnet men were found in a shallow grave in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State on 16 February. A forensic evaluation determined that the victims' throats were slit. The men had disappeared after leaving their homes in Thinbaw Hla village to go crabbing the day before. Irrawaddy
14 FEB 2019
On 13 February, three Kachin activists who were sentenced to six months in prison in December for "defaming the Tatmadaw" were granted the first Kachin Human Rights Defender award by the World Kachin Congress and the Kachin Consultative Group. Nang Pu, Lum Zawng and Zau Jat were arrested in April 2018 and charged under section 500 of the Penal Code for leading a protest calling on the military to allow the delivery of aid to internally displaced people trapped in conflict zones in Kachin State. Frontier Myanmar
14 FEB 2019
On 12 January, local officials announced that over 1,000 people in Kyaukme Township, Shan State have been displaced by fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army - South and the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army - North. The villagers have taken refuge in Aung Su Pan monastery, Shwe Kyin monastery and Namt Sitlynn monastery and are facing food shortages as the number of displaced people grows. Myanmar Times
12 FEB 2019
On 12 February, 21 Karenni activists were injured after police fired rubber bullets and water cannons to break up a demonstration in Loikaw. The 5,000 protesters had marched on Loikaw City Hall to demand the government remove the recently erected statue of General Aung San from the town park. Following the crackdown, Karenni/Kayah State officials agreed to drop charges against 55 previously detained protesters in exchange for a suspension in protests. RFA
07 FEB 2019
On 7 February, 36 Karenni activists were arrested for staging a protest outside the National League for Democracy office in Loikaw, Karenni/Kayah State, following the detention of 20 protestors a week earlier. The youth activists had set up the camp in late January to protest the construction of a statue of General Aung San in Loikaw Town Park. All 56 activists are expected to be charged under Article 19 of the Peaceful Assembly Act. Irrawaddy
07 FEB 2019
On 7 February, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) denied claims that they were allowing members of Indian rebel groups to operate in their territory in Sagaing Division and wanted the military to withdraw from their headquarters. Tatmadaw troops had taken over the NSCN-K's headquarters in Taga Village, Naga Self-Administered Zone on 29 January after accusing the ethnic armed organization of violating the 2012 bilateral ceasefire agreement. The tensions have not resulted in armed clashes to date. Irrawaddy
06 Feb 2019
The Tatmadaw constructed new military camps in Shan and Karenni/Kayah States despite declaring a unilateral ceasefire covering those areas in December last year, according to local news sources and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). The military had promised to suspend operations in five command areas in eastern Burma until 30 April and asked EAOs not to expand their forces during this time. Shan Herald Agency for News
05 feb 2019
On 5 February, Facebook announced that it had removed the pages of the four ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that make up the Northern Alliance in order to prevent them from "further inflam[ing] tensions on the ground." Critics questioned the social media giant's decision to target those EAOs that have not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and suggested that the company may be overreacting to past failures. Irrawaddy
ALTSEAN-BURMA
