A civilian from the Kachin ethnic group was shot and killed while working on her farm last week.
Zung Lwi, was with her husband and their 3 children near Ginsi village when government troops opened fire. Her husband Galau Ying Bawm and their children managed to escape unscathed. The family has sought refuge at a church near Lawng Hkang, according to relatives.
The incident on Jan. 24, occurred after a series of offensives by Burma armed forces against Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Sixth Battalion. The government has been reinforcing their troops in the jade-rich Hpakant (Phakant) district.
On Jan, 18, KIA Col. Nhkum Zau Doi, commander of 6 Battalion, warned all civilians living near Ginsi to flee after expecting a large government offensive. Shortly after, the KIA's Sixth Battalion headquarters was taken by the Burma army.
An estimated 3,000 people from around Ginsi have fled their homes since the beginning of the year. Most are sheltering in churches and Buddhist monasteries in Hpakant, Lawng Hkang and Seng Tawng.
