Bombs alleged to have been made by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) were shown to the invited Kachin church leaders in the state’s capital Myitkyina by Maj-Gen Soe Win, commander of the Northern Regional Command (NC) of Burma’s ruling junta.
Around 32 remote-controlled bombs allegedly made by KIO were shown to over 200 Kachin church leaders from all denominations from Myitkyina, Bhamo, Waingmaw, Danai and Hpakant at today’s meeting between Kachin church leaders and Burmese military officials at St. Columban’s Roman Catholic Church in Aung Nan Yint Ta in Myitkyina from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time, said participants.
According to Maj-Gen Soe Win, the remote-controlled bombs were found in the possession of a Kachin villager N’Hkum Bawm Lawn, a KIO-trained bomber in Wawang Kumbang village near Chyahkan Dap in Bhamo district on March 13. The explosives can be detonated from about one mile away.
KIO denied knowledge of the bombs to the NC commander but said it could have been made by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)’s battalion 5, said participants quoting the NC commander.
Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) office in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, northern Burma.
In the meeting, Maj-Gen Soe Win also stressed on the fruits of peace in Kachin State. He said the junta wanted the KIO to accept the junta-proposed Border Guard Force proposal like other ethnic armed groups in the country, a Kachin church leader told Kachin News Group this evening.
The KIO rejected transforming KIA to the Burmese Army-controlled Border Guard Force proposal before the political imbroglio between them is resolved.
At the meeting, two ministers from Naypyitaw accompanied Commander Soe Win. They were Brig-Gen Thein Zaw Minister of Post, Communication and Telegraphs and U Thaung Minister for Science and Technology. They spoke to the Kachin Christian leaders, added participants.
U Thaung, who is close to the military leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe asked Kachin church leaders to give suggestions to local members of the junta-sponsored Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and support the association, said participants.
Brig-Gen Thein Zaw reiterated the words of Prime Minister Thein Sein during his February visit to Kachin State. He had said “the Kachin population is not much in Kachin State and there are also several ethnics in the state, who are reacting against the Kachins demand for self-determination state”.
Thein Zaw also pointed out that the Kachin State was not born on January 10, 1948 which is known as the current Kachin State Day but it was born from the 1947 agreement of Constituent Assembly, before Burma’s Independence on January 4, 1948, added participants.
On March 7, Kachin Baptist church leaders in Bhamo were told to press the KIO to transform to BGF by Brig-Gen Soe Win, commander of Bhamo-based Military Operation Command 21 when the church leaders met him for permission for the 36th Kachin Baptists’ Conference of Kachin Baptist Convention.
With impending civil between the junta and the KIO in northern Burma, the Kachin church leaders, who indirectly dominate Kachin politics were especially assembled and addressed by the three Burmese military officials.
