The arrival of the Tatmadaw (military) at the New Mon State Party (NMSP) military base in Japan Well (Paline-Japan) village on Wednesday morning November 27 is considered a violation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), according to the NMSP.

The NMSP Commander in Chief, Lieutenant General Lyi Gong said of the action, “It was a breaking of the NCA agreement. The [Tatmadaw] was using force to enter our troop’s controlled area. According to the NCA agreement, one can only enter our area only if we allow [it]. The clash broke out among lower-level soldiers when [the Tatmadaw] force entered without permission.”

A local Tactical Operation Command from the Tatmadaw including senior NMSP liaison officers along with a military force, arrived at the Palaungjapan village around 9.a.m. The NMSP reportedly started to fire, and the clash left casualties and death. At the time of publication, the Mon News Agency has not been able to verify the death toll or injury list.

“Officers from our liaison [unit] tried to stop them and asked them to wait until we got permission from our headquarters. The clash then broke out as they refused and tried to enter [our base],” Lieutenant General Lyi Gong added.

The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) also attacked Palaungjapan village where the NMSP Battalion 5 is based. At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, almost half of the area was reported to be under the control of the Tatmadaw.

The skirmish has forced over 500 local people from Paline-Japan village and Guu-Bar village to flee and take refuge at a Mon monastery located on the Thai side of the border.

The New Mon State Party signed a ceasefire agreement with the Order Restoration Council (SLORC or Na Wa Ta) government in 1995. The NMSP created a state/union level agreement with President Thein Sein’s government in 2012. According to the reconfirmed agreement during the NMSP NCA agreement signing in 2018, the Japan Well village is designated as the NMSP’s permanent base area.

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Tatmadaw and Karen BGF armed groups (photo/Facebook)