The following is from OCHA(United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) website:-- NOTE CAREFULLY: the paragraph starting with On Thursday state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar reported that.............. I checked the 15 January issue of the said newspaper. It simply said: A local column of the Tatmadaw is in hot pursuit of the KIA troops. How is that ?? Myanmar - ReliefWeb News More Sharing ServicesShare| Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on print Syndicate content ReliefWeb - Updates URL: reliefweb.int/ Updated: 14 min 55 sec ago Myanmar: Hundreds flee fresh clashes in Myanmars Kachin state: activist 12 hours 34 min ago Source: Agence France-Presse Country: Myanmar Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Thursday 1/15/2015 - 12:19 GMT Hundreds of villagers fled their homes in northern Myanmars war-torn Kachin state Thursday, an activist said, as fresh clashes erupted between rebels and government troops after a local politician was briefly taken hostage. The army launched new attacks against ethnic Kachin rebels before dawn in Hpakant township after government-backed media said the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) took the state transport minister Kamann Du Naw and three policemen hostage. The minister was released soon after but the police officers were still being held, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. Around 800 people from three different villages in Hpakant have fled their homes to escape the fighting. They are taking shelter in monasteries and churches, Khon Ja, an activist from the Kachin Peace Network, said by telephone from Yangon. Confirming the clashes, a local rebel commander said the army started shooting before dawn and fighting had raged throughout the day. We havent had such strong fighting like this in more than a year, the KIAs Colonel Tan Seng told AFP from the rebel-stronghold of Laiza. Around 100,000 people have been displaced in the remote, resource-rich state bordering China since a 17-year ceasefire between the government and the rebels broke down in June 2011. Tensions have spiked in recent weeks after a November attack by the army on a rebel training centre near their headquarters in the town of Laiza. The shelling left more than 20 cadets dead, with an unknown number of insurgent casualties. On Thursday state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar reported that a female unit of the Tatmadaw (army) is in hot pursuit of the KIA troops” after the rebels held the minister and policemen hostage. KIA armed groups allowed the minister to proceed to his tour but abducted the policemen with arms and ammunition, it said. The surge in violence in Kachin has triggered concerns over already faltering peace talks. Myanmars quasi-civilian government has vowed to end the civil wars that have plagued the countrys ethnic minority areas for half a century. But talks aimed at securing a nationwide ceasefire deal have appeared to hit the buffers in recent months, with long-held mistrust and the continued fighting in Kachin overshadowing negotiations. nan/pj/apj/jah © 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse Categories: ReliefWeb Latest Reports for Country Office
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 02:27:05 +0000
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