Junta soldiers and their allies stationed in the border town of Kan Paik Ti in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State have been firing heavy artillery and small arms since reports emerged of an imminent attack by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
Junta soldiers and soldiers from the junta-aligned Kachin Border Guard Force (BGF) are stationed at the army base and police station in Kan Paik Ti Town. At around 10:00 AM, on 20 November 2024, they started firing small arms and artillery onto routes into the town likely to be used by the KIA, should they choose to attack, according to a resident of Kan Paik Ti Town who spoke to KNG.
He said that the junta forces continued firing into the fields outside Kan Paik Ti, near the town’s entrance for two hours, until about midday.
The day before, 19 November, rumours began circulating that KIA troops were gathering in Wutmaw Village, just a short distance from Kan Paik Ti, and that they might soon attack the town.
On the evening of 19 November the junta and BGF notified Kan Paik Ti residents that they would be firing small arms and artillery to counter a potential attack by the KIA. That caused some of the town’s residents who were concerned about their safety to leave that evening.
As of 1:00 PM on 20 November, there has been no retaliatory fire from the KIA, but the military situation in Kan Paik Ti Town remains tense according to another of the town’s residents.
He said: “The current military situation is tense. It’s very likely that both sides are threatening each other with a show of force. A large number of junta troops are now deployed in Kan Paik Ti. Meanwhile, the KIA has already captured a major BGF battalion headquarters in Shing Jai Village, not far from Kan Paik Ti, and it has also taken up positions in Wutmaw Village. Given the current situation, fighting could erupt at any time.”
Whether such worries are justified is debatable. Just on 19 November the KIA and its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) announced through its spokesperson, Colonel Naw Bu, that they had decided not to attack Kan Paik Ti Town for the time being.
He said: “Official trading posts serve as vital gateways between countries, so we must carefully deliberate before taking control of them.”
China closed all the border crossings in Kachin State. The crossings in the towns of Lwegel, Pangwar and Laiza towns were closed on 18 October, the Kan Paik Ti Town border crossing was closed on 22 October and the Phimaw Town crossing was closed on 26 October.
China allowed the Kan Paik Ti Town border crossing to re-open on 6 November in a very limited way, with people and many kinds of goods still not allowed across the border. But, in recent days China has allowed some trucks carrying food to enter Kachin State, but it is still not allowing fuel to go through the border to Kachin State.
