The meeting was attended by Burma's Northern Command Second-in-Command Brig. Gen. San Tun led delegation while the Chinese delegation was led by the Second-in-Command of Bao San Military Region Brig. Gen. level.
"Yes, the meeting is being held at a Laiza hotel. The Second-in-Command of Northern Region Command from the Burma side is attending the meeting. But we don't know who is representing the Chinese. There were about 90 armed men in uniform and 200 in mufti deployed when Ye Myint came earlier," a local resident from Laiza told Mizzima.
"The Second-in-Command of Northern Command Brig. Gen. San Tun, GSO(1) Col. Win Myint, a Colonel from Military Affairs Security (MAS) of Northern Command are attending the meeting and the Second-in-Command of Bao San military region is leading the Chinese delegation. GSO (1) Win Myint went to Bao San and picked up the Chinese team. They reached Laiza today via Yin Jiang. The Burmese delegation is stationed at Lajayan near Laiza", U Aung Kyaw Zaw, military analyst based on Sino-Burma border said.
The Chinese delegation comprises about 10 members.
This meeting is a routine quarterly meeting usually held at Bao San in Yunnan Province and Myitkyinar in Kachin State, Burma alternatively. This is the first ever such meeting held in the border town of Laiza.
The meeting usually discusses drugs, fugitives fleeing to either side among other security matters and concludes with presenting gifts and dinners reflecting goodwill and friendship between the two countries.
The Burmese Northern Command sent a letter to KIA on the March 24 informing them about the meeting to be held in Laiza.
U Aung Kyaw Zaw speculates that this meeting is being held in Laiza this time amidst rumours spreading among local people that protesters involved in the recent Tibet protest led by Tibetan monks are planning to flee to the Indo-Burma border through the Sino-Burma border.
"After the unrest in Tibet, security has been tightened in many parts of China including Jie Gao. Soldiers are patrolling in armoured vehicles in these areas daily. In some border checkpoints, the police armed with batons are manning the gates," he said.
"Tibet is called the Jiang autonomous region. Some Tibetans are planning to flee to Burma through the Jiang-Lijiang-Dali route. The Chinese security forces received a tip off of that the KIA is planning to assist these Tibetan people by taking them to the Indo-Burma border so they are tightening the security here", he added.
The local people have not liked the meeting being held at Laiza as there was pressure exerted on the KIA by the Chinese and Burmese authorities to transform Laiza as a port of entry for official trade, the local Kachin ethnic said.
Lt. Gen. Ye Myint of the Ministry of Defence had a meeting with KIA leaders at Laiza on March 28.
After the meeting, the local people were given more freedom in terms of trade on the Myitkyina-Bamo-Laiza trade route, the local Kachin ethnic added.
U Aung Kyaw Zaw views this meeting between Ye Myint and KIA leaders as intimidation and persuasion of the KIA in regard to the constitutional referendum to be held in May this year.
KIA family members did not register for the national ID cards being issued in the KIA controlled areas, but only local people are registering for the temporary ID cards.
The local people said that KIA is concerned over being viewed as a historical blunderer for attending the government controlled national convention. In this convention, the junta turned down all the proposals and demands made by KIA while Kachin ethnic elders and Kachin people exerted political pressure on KIA.
But the KIA spokesman was not available for comment and confirmation regarding this point when contacted.
