The Burmese Army has warned that 'War Fund' collectors of Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the strongest Kachin ceasefire group in northern Burma would be shot dead in the areas around the famous Indawgyi Lake in Burma's northern Kachin state, said local sources.

The fresh warning came after the KIO people started collecting 'War Funds' from the local Kachins and Red Shans in the villages around Indawgyi Lake such as Nyaung Pyi, Lung Tung, Mai Puk, Nat Myi Long, Mai Nang, Na Mawn and Ja Ra Yang in September for the locally based Kachin Independence Army (KIA) battalion No. 26 under the KIO's Indawgyi Lake Township also called Nawnglut Ginwang in Kachin, according to the KIO officials in Indawgyi Lake Township.
 
KIO officials added, that they have been threatened that they would be shot dead in villages where they collect money and rice as part of the 'War Fund' by troops of the Burmese Army based in Indawgyi Lake.
 
At the moment, some KIO's 'War Fund' collectors in Indawgyi Lake Township areas are hiding in the areas outside the township for fear of being shot dead by Burmese soldiers, said sources close to KIO Indawgyi Lake officials.
 
Indawgyi Lake Township is a new extended administrative township of KIO and it was formed with a new KIA battalion No. 26 in Mai Puk in 2005, said KIO sources.
 
On the other hand, the KIA battalion No. 26 under the Indawgyi Lake Township is continuously making fresh military recruitment in gold mines and villages around the Indawgyi Lake despite the 'War Fund' collectors being warned, according to gold miners in those areas.
 
On October 8, the Burmese Army raided the KIO-owned Namti sugar mill in Namti city and detained two KIA solders. It also raided the KIO local relation office in Tapataung village near Sinbo city the same day under the KIA battalion No.11 areas in response to fresh military recruitment by the KIA in the villages in Namti areas.
 
Dr. Manam Tu Ja, Vice-president No. II of KIO and former head of the KIO delegates to the junta's National Convention on a new constitution was pressurized to resume war against the ruling junta on November 6 in Hpakant jade mining city while he was on an organizational trip of Kachin State Interim Committee for the 2010 elections.