Burmese Language
Army admits aerial assault on Kachin rebels
The Burmese army has claimed responsibility for several targeted air strikes in northern Burma, less than a day after the government denied using jet fighters and attack helicopters against Kachin rebels.
In an article by the military-owned Myawady news website dated Tuesday, the army admitted that “an assault mission, utilising airstrikes, was carried out” in the strategic Lajayang region, less than 13 kilometres from the rebels’ headquarters in Laiza.
It contradicts an earlier government claim that it was only using air forces to “deliver food supplies to its troops” and “to provide security for the workers who are repairing roads and bridges”.
The army insists the air strikes were necessary to reclaim a route used to deliver supplies to their outposts in Lajayang, after rebels ignored an ultimatum to pull back from the area. Rebels say they refused because they fear an attack on their headquarters.
According to local sources, the army has stepped up its military assault on Laiza from both the north and south sides of the base with a clear intent to squeeze the rebels. The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has even accused the government of using Chinese airspace to target attacks.
A video shot by the Free Burma Rangers and released by the BBC today, shows attack helicopters firing on the ground and military jets flying over territory controlled by the KIA.
The director of the president’s office, Zaw Htay, told the BBC that he had little knowledge of the army’s use of helicopters or airstrikes — raising fresh doubt over the government’s ability to control the military. President Thein Sein has been heavily criticised for failing to rein in the army, despite publicly ordering troops to stop its offensive against the rebels. The government maintains that it is only acting in self-defence.
Over a hundred protestors marched through the streets of Rangoon on Tuesday to call for an end to the bloody conflict, which has displaced over 75,000 people since fighting broke out in June 2011.
“Right now as the New Year is being celebrated in many places, our brothers in the North are suffering in war, forced to flee for their lives. We are protesting for peace – we call for an immediate end to the war,” said Kyi Zin Thar, a spokesperson for the youth activist group Generation Wave, who co-organised the event.
In September, protestors calling for an end to the Kachin conflict were later charged for rallying without permission under the controversial law on assembly and peaceful procession, which came into force last year.
The ongoing conflict severely dents the reformist credentials of President Thein Sein, who carefully skirted the Kachin crisis in his first ever New Year’s message on Tuesday. Even democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has elicited rare criticism for her failure to condemn the army’s ongoing assault on the rebels.
Tags: conflict, Kachin, kia, thein sein
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All the plans about air strikes are ordered by Thein Sein because he knows that the journalists do not reach there. They Burmese military usually use air strikes to the rebels when the severe fightings are happened. Please spare the civilians there. All ethnic rebels need unity. If they are not united like this they will be collapsed one by one. All the citicians in burma need unity oust malitary government. Loom at Syria now. They have sacrified their lives more than 45000 now. They are still on the struggle. We are far away behind them to gain victory even we have fought longer than them. The government in Burma do not want peace. They want power over civilians.
I wonder if Thein Sein can taste the bullsh*t that’s coming out of his mouth
In this latest display of the deteriorating level of human decency and morality around the world, and in Burma in particular, and testament to the rise of selfishness (Utta), undeterred greed (Lawba) and disregard for justice (Ah-dammha), the most blatant military aggression of state military apparatus helped by international communities- Americans hand in hand with Chinese, Russians/ Belarusians and Indians, is currently on display conducting virulent and violent killing missions onto defenceless civilian population who only a short 2 years ago were doing nothing more aggressive than tending their own ancestral land for food productions and raising their young s in cohesive, peaceful communities.
Thein Sein fronted/ Aung San Suu Kyi supported Than Shwe Sit-tut doing this most horrible, criminal, despicable, depraved, sadistic and lunatic acts is well expected.
So, by now, is the total silence and tacit collusion/ approval/ support by Aung San Suu Kyi and her Single Woman Party of People’s Treachery ( Party by the people, of the people and for Thein Sein) and 88′s and others as well as ever loyal “exile” and “free” inland “Media”.
But total lack of right outrage by the American gagged international communities and (do-gooder sounding) organizations and usually vocal academics and observers is worrying as this may well herald acceptance and normalization in International Arena anywhere of Absolute Rule of the Jungle because this current display of bullying and unjust violent aggression for “business” interest is just that. Rule of the Jungle where the strong beats up the weak for food/ loot/ resource/ land/ minerals/ anything with no civilization ( at least not decent one) to stand for the justice.
Worse than for the Kachin’s current predicament, this is bad omen for Burma and bad omen for the world. Peaceful, never will be.
Once this Law of the Jungle is accepted as norm, YOU will be next and what do you think people would do then?
As now, NOTHING.
The General and Thein Sein are the same. Look at the peace talk. They give no promise about political reform, instead they use divide and rule method.
“Over a hundred protestors marched through the streets of Rangoon on Tuesday to call for an end to the bloody conflict, which has displaced over 75,000 people since fighting broke out in June 2011.”
It is a good start to strike Than shwe and his royal dog, min aung laing.
Doublespeak, often called “double talk,” is the distortion, changing or switching of words to make an unpleasant, tricky or otherwise negative situation not sound as awful.
Burrmese Army should not be called Tut Ma Daw as they named theirselves.
They are puppets of Dictators and always
bullying our people.So they should be called
” Phook Kyar Tut ”
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