Armed clashes between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have broken out twice over the past few days, according to KIA officials and local residents. The KIA is the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), which has been in conflict with the central government ever since a 17-year ceasefire ended in June 2011.
The clashes, which began on August 8th and lasted for over an hour, took place at Sabaw Maw, a ruby mine located in territory controlled by the KIA’s 6th Battalion in the jade-rich Hpakant Township. The fighting started when a column of Burmese troops entered the mine area, according to a KIA officer who spoke to Kachin News Group (KNG) on the condition of anonymity.
Two days later, fighting broke out again when another group of government troops arrived at the ruby mine. After an exchange of heavy fire, Tatmadaw troops eventually entered a KIA controlled village near the mine and burned a KIA base, according to eyewitnesses. Government forces also tried to seize a KIA mountaintop post at Loi Ne Bum, but they were unable to capture the post, the KIA officer told KNG in a phone interview on Tuesday.
At least four Burmese soldiers were killed during the clashes, according to ruby miners based in the area.
Eyewitnesses said they saw two injured Burmese soldiers being brought back to Myitkyina in a civilian car on August 9th, and another four injured soldiers were brought back to Myitkyina by civilian car on August 11th. However, the KIA officer claimed there were no KIA casualties during the fighting.
Dozens of villagers from the mine area are now taking refuge in two nearby villages along the Myitkyina-Hpakant road called Nam Ya and Kap Maw Zup, according to a member of the local Kachin Baptist Church.
Brief fighting also took place between government forces and the KIA’s 26th Battalion in the Ingdawgyi Lake area in Mohnyin District over the weekend, according to locals.
The Sabaw Maw mine has extremely valuable red-colored rubies, and large-scale mining operations at the mine began over a decade ago. However, mining activities at Sabaw Maw have temporarily stopped due to the fighting.
The KIA-controlled amber mines in Danai Township’s Hugawng (Hukaung) valley have also ceased operations ever since over 100 government troops were deployed to the area in April.
In addition, the Naypyidaw government has shut down most of the jade mines in Hpakant since May, 2012. The shutdown was designed to prevent the KIO from charging miners a “revolutionary tax” which the KIO imposed after the conflict erupted in June 2011.
Sumlut Gam, the KIO education minister who also serves as a member of the KIO Central Committee, told KNG that the army’s latest actions were an attempt to block the KIO from profiting from the gem trade.
Members of a joint committee of government and KIO representatives that is tasked with monitoring the conflict met on Tuesday in the Kachin State capital of Myitkyina to discuss the latest conflict, Sumlut Gam told KNG.
