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Myanmar Military Admits to Airstrikes on Kachin Rebels Myanmar Military Admits to Airstrikes on Kachin Rebels
(about 2 hours later)
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s military acknowledged on Wednesday that it had been carrying out airstrikes against ethnic Kachin rebels in the northern part of the country, and said it had captured a hilltop post from which the insurgents attacked government supply convoys. BANGKOK — Myanmar admitted on Wednesday that it was using aircraft to attack rebels near the border with China, a development that the United States described as an “extremely troubling” escalation of the conflict.
The statement contradicted denials by the government two days earlier, and raised questions about how much control the elected civilian government of President Thein Sein has over the army. Ethnic Kachin rebels, who are battling the government for control over the northern areas of the country, have in recent days reported being attacked by helicopters and other aircraft, but until Wednesday the government denied using such tactics.
In Washington, Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman, said the use of air power against the Kachins was “extremely troubling,” and she called on the government and the rebels to cease their conflict and begin a real dialogue for peace. A report by the state-run Myanmar News Agency on Wednesday, which was published on Thursday in the state newspaper, New Light of Myanmar, said the military used aircraft to clear rebels from a hilltop not far from the Chinese border.
Myanmar state television, quoting the Defense Ministry, said troops occupied a Kachin Independence Army hilltop post on Sunday that had been used to block the army’s supply lines to a base at Lajayang, which is very close to the rebel headquarters at Laiza. “Air cover was used in the attack,” the report said. “Weapons and ammunition were seized.”
The government delivered an ultimatum to the Kachin rebels in December to clear a road by Dec. 25 so the army could supply its base. The Kachin rejected the ultimatum for fear of a government attack on their own post. The Myanmar Army’s goal was to keep supply lines open, the report said, adding that the army “did not launch offensives.”
A rebel spokesman, La Nan, said on Monday that the supplies being sent to government troops there included ammunition as well as rice. Fighting between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army has tarnished the reform efforts of President Thein Sein, who is leading the country’s transition from a military dictatorship to a democracy.
“We will obstruct any army convoy that carries arms and ammunition that will be used against us,” he said. “This is the nature of war.” The Kachin, like Myanmar’s other ethnic minorities, have long sought greater autonomy from the central government. They are the only major ethnic rebel group that has not reached a cease-fire agreement with Mr. Thein Sein’s government, which came to power in March 2011 after almost five decades of military rule.
Each side blames the other for an increase in fighting that began in late December. His government has been praised for instituting changes that include liberalizing the economy, abolishing most media censorship and opening the once-isolated country to foreign investment. He has also led reconciliation efforts with the political opposition, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s leading democracy advocate.
The Kachin said Monday that they were being attacked by helicopter gunships and fighter jets, but Maj. Zaw Htay, director of the president’s office, said the aircraft were being used mainly to supply government units whose access to supplies by road had been cut off by the Kachin guerrillas. But friction with ethnic minorities is seen as a danger to the fledgling democracy.
Wednesday’s statement said, “During the attack, the army used air support.” It added that the military did not want to mount an offensive but that in order to maintain security and stability, it had to attack the outpost. Although Mr. Thein Sein is a former general himself, his public appeals for an end to the army’s offensive in the borderland areas have gone unheeded, leading diplomats to voice concerns about a possible rift between the military and his civilian government. Peace talks between government negotiators and the rebels have foundered.
The statement said government troops seized weapons, including mortars, hand grenades, mines and 4,000 rounds of ammunition. The military’s objective appears to be the capture of the rebel base at Laiza, a town on the border with China. Tens of thousands of refugees have fled the fighting, some to China. The current round of fighting began in June 2011 when a 17-year cease-fire ended.
The military announcement highlights a seeming disconnect between the government and the military, which retains much power behind the scenes. An order late last year by Mr. Thein Sein to halt offensive operations against the Kachin was not honored in practice. Capturing the rebel base at Laiza would be a victory for the military of Myanmar, formerly Burma, but it is unlikely that it would stop the fighting. The Kachin specialize in guerrilla tactics honed over decades: their warriors were allies of British and American troops against Japanese soldiers during World War II.
The Kachin, like Myanmar’s other ethnic minorities, have long sought greater autonomy from the central government. They are the only major ethnic rebel group that has not reached a cease-fire agreement with Mr. Thein Sein’s government, which came to power last year after almost five decades of military rule. Myanmar’s state news media have given few details about the fighting and until now rarely offered casualty tallies. The Myanmar News Agency’s report listed a series of clashes in which “soldiers were injured and lost their lives.”
His government has been hailed for instituting democratic reforms. But tension with ethnic minorities, evidenced by the fighting with the Kachin, is considered a major long-term problem for the government and a threat to the nascent democracy. A State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, called the use of air power “extremely troubling.”
Fighting erupted in Kachin State last June after the rebel group refused to abandon a strategic base near a hydropower plant that is a joint venture with a Chinese company. There have been off-and-on skirmishes between the Kachin rebels and government troops, often escalating into serious bombardment by government troops. At a briefing in Washington on Wednesday Ms. Nuland said, “We are continuing to urge the government of Burma and the Kachin Independence Organization to cease this conflict.”