An unarmed Kachin farmer was shot and killed by Burma army troops after returning home to his village in Manje (also Mansi) township in southern Kachin state for the rice harvest, the man’s relatives tell the Kachin News Group (KNG).
According to the account provided by relatives Maraw Gun, 30, was killed at his home in Mung Ding Pa on Nov. 14 by Burma soldiers from Tactical Command No-3 under the Bhamo (or Manmaw) based Military Operation Command-21 (MOC). The incident occurred as he was leaving his home, according to Lahpai La Doi, from nearby Nam Lim Pa village.
Maraw Gun’s wife and three children are currently sheltering at an internally displaced camp located in the Kachin Baptist Robert Memorial Church compound in the government controlled town of Bhamo (or Manmaw), some 30 miles away from their village.
Marraw Gun’s family and neighbors fled their villages after fighting erupted in the area last month. Most of the refugees from their village took shelter in Bhamo or in Nam Lim Pa, an area that was until this past weekend controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
Last Saturday also saw two men alleged to be from the KIA affiliated militia locally known as MKM (Mungshawa Kanawn Mazum) detained by government soldiers at Han Htet villager near Manje town. The two men are said to have been assigned to KIA battalion 27 under 3rd Brigade.
Despite recent peace talks between the government and the KIO, Naypyidaw is engaged in a military offensive against KIA battalion 12 in Manje (or Manje) township. As part of the ongoing offensive the military is using more than 1,000 troops from about 20 battalions deployed from MOC-21 (Bhamo) under the Northern Regional Military Command and MOC-16 (Theinni or Hsenwi), according to Maj. Labang Jawn Awng, commander of KIA battalion 12.
The Kachin Independence Army’s vice chief of staff Maj. Gen. Gun Maw addressed reporters in Rangoon on Monday, during his first public visit to the former Burmese capital since a 17 year ceasefire between the government and the KIO collapsed in June 2011.
Gun Maw confirmed reports that clashes remained ongoing in southern Kachin state. "The fighting has been on and off, they were fighting yesterday (Sunday) and also today as they are close to our forces," according to AFP.
