A suspected spy of the Burmese military junta made a secret entry into the house of Maj-Gen Gunhtang Gam Shawng, Chief-of-Staff of the Kachin Independent Army (KIA), said a source from Laiza town, the headquarters of the armed group.
The local source said, the unidentified intruder, a Burmese ethnic was secretly entering the house of the KIA Chief-of-Staff early last month when he was arrested by a KIA soldier. He was handed over to the Intelligence Department of KIA.
“He is detained by KIA’s intelligence. He had entered the house at around 11 am,” said the resident.
KIA, the armed-wing of Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) suspected the spy might have been sent by the junta authorities. He behaved as if he was abnormal. However most in KIA felt he was a secret agent of the regime.
“KIO has imposed tight security in Laiza since February second week. Vigorous security checks are being done on everyone entering the township,” said the resident.
The junta had set a deadline of February 28 for KIO to come up with a clear answer on transforming its military arm into the Border Guard Force (BGF). KIO did not respond and instead it began an urgent Central Committee meeting in Laiza in the beginning of March.
Tension has been escalating between the two sides because no agreement was reached on the thorny BGF. Now more Burmese troops are being deployed close to KIA camps.
“Any member of the KIO/A of lower rank than three star should have permits or recommendations from higher authorities to go to Alen Bum, (the army headquarters of KIA in Laiza),” said the source.
KIO has done this for security reasons for all motor cycles driven to the army headquarters of Alen Bum have different numbers and name than others in the place.
The KIO and the junta have not been able to see eye to eye since last January on the BGF issue. The Kachin armed group continues rejecting the BGF proposal and are asking for consideration of the 1947 Panglong Agreement chalked out by ethnic leaders and the independence hero General Aung San which refers to equal rights for all ethnic people in Burma.
Only two to three ceasefire ethnic armed groups of 17 in Burma have accepted the proposed BGF and the strongest group including KIA and United Wa State Army (UWSA) are still opposing it.
