The Burma Army launched an attack against the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army-North in Mong Hsu Township under Loilen District in southern Shan State on Saturday morning (21 January), according to a local source.
Around 80 troops from a military column under the Burma Army attacked SSPP/SSA-N outpost in Lwel Kat Mountain Ridge near Wang Pan Nga Village between Mong San and Mong Hsu, around three miles south of Mong Hsu, at 9:30 am on 21 January, according to a frontline commander from the SSPP/SSA-N.
“We don’t want to fight while everyone is preparing for the second session of the 21st Century Panglong [Conference]. We only defended ourselves. We are trying to negotiate [with the Burma Army] to prevent the skirmishes from spreading out,” said SSA-N’s spokesperson Major Phone Han.
A source close to a Tactical Operations Commander of the Burma Army, who is serving in Loilen District, told Shan Herald that the Burma Army informed SSA-N to order its troops to withdraw from their bases and release new recruits from Mong Hsu and Kyethi townships. The Burma Army has threatened to use force if the SSA-N refused to release the new recruits.
“We have been accused. We are an army that has been born from the Shan people. This is our home land. We don’t even need to send for recruits in normal times. We already have them,” a SSA-N commander from Mong Hsu Township said on condition of anonymity.
After the Burma Army ordered the SSPP/SSA-N to withdraw from their Loi Maw Mal and Nam Nak bases in the north of Mong Hsu, both armies beefed up their numbers but no skirmishes have broken out so far since 18 January.
Although the SSPP/SSA-N has not signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement, it has signed a union-level and state-level ceasefire with former President U Thein Sein administration.
Translated by Thida Linn
