Although the Karen National Union (KNU) and New Mon State Party (NMSP) agreed to halt their conflict at Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) Township on October 20, further skirmishes reportedly broke out the 21 October’s morning.

“They [KNU] fired six to seven gunshots in our direction this morning, so we shot back one time. Then, the fighting started and lasted for 20 minutes. The situation went silent again until now,” NMSP military personnel confirmed.

One of the KNU generals explained, it is hard to analyze the situation, as leaders from both sides just met yesterday, and another skirmish lasting for approximately 1.5 hours, took place at 7 a.m. today.

“After the meeting, the (NMSP) attempted to shoot a Karen man from Tee Wadoh village with a sniper gun while he was feeding his pigs. The man was not hit, but the bullet fell two meters away from him. While investigating the shooting site. They (NMSP) fired again at us. We then shot back three to four times with a handgun. More members from our group joined in when they heard the gunshots. The shoot-out began after the [NMSP] fired another 79 gunshots at us,” he added.

A group consisting of the Chairperson of the KNU-Doo Balar district, the Brigade 6 Commander, the Chief of army strategist, Battalion commanders, and persons in-charge of Administration Department from the KNU met with representatives from NMSP headquarters at the KNU liaison office in Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) Town yesterday. The group agreed to visit the two conflict-affected villages Ba-Leh-Doon-Pite and Tee Wadoh on October 22nd to formally re-establish the territorial designation, according to a NMSP Central Committee member.

“[We] are going to the conflict-affected villages tomorrow to mark the villages’ territory boundaries. The KNU and NMSP have agreed to acknowledge the marked-territory that villagers and village heads of both villages have agreed to. Battalion commanders, Township chairs and vice-chairs of the Administrative Department from both sides will help the heads of the village with village matters. Also, [we] have agreed to increase the distance between the Mon armed base and the KNU base to prevent further conflict,” a member of the NMSP Central Committee added.

In addition, both sides discussed three issues. 1) The return villagers to their homes. 2) How to deal with removing landmines in the area. 3) Ensuring that respective organizations take responsibility for landmine blasts whether on the street or in plantations, he added.

To date, over 120 villagers have fled their homes and are taking refuge in Tai Ta Ya Monastery at Three Pagoda Pass. Although negotiations between the KNU and NMSP yesterday seemed to go well, the stability of the situation is not yet clear, according to a resident of TPP.

Local people expressed their anxiety that KNU armed group members have been active in Mon villages and in the Taung Pauk village in Kyainseikgyi Township, Karen State.

After a KNU attacks of a NMSP Ma Yan Chaung –a military base in eastern Ye Town and another base on the outskirts of Ba-Leh-Doon-Pite village on the morning of October 17th over 60 evacuees arrived at the Tai Ta Ya Monastery.

The conflict between the two groups was sparked after the New Mon State Party (NMSP) removed a KNU flag from the front of Mon military base.

The absence of a clear and mutually recognized borderlines between Mon and Karen villages has resulted in previous territorial disputes.