Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Kachin woman killed by army troops in Hpakant district



The entrance of Ginsi, the headquarters of KIA Battalion 6 in Hpakant before it was controlled by Burmese government forces on Jan. 18.  Photo: Kachin News Group
Last week, 46-year old Zahkung Zung Lwi, was shot and killed by government troops while working on her farm in western Kachin state, according to her family. The incident took place on January 24th near Ginsi village in the jade-rich Hpakant (Phakant) district.

 Zung Lwi, was working in her field with her husband and children when government troops patrolling the area opened fire, fatally wounding the mother of three. Zung Lwi's husband Galau Ying Bawm and her children managed to escape the gunfire, according to relatives. The family is now sheltering in a church run internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in nearby Lawng Hkang.

Ginsi village and the surrounding area have seen heavy fighting in recent weeks after large numbers of government reinforcements arrived in the area to take part in an offensive against local forces from the 6th Battalion of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

On January 18th Col. Nhkum Zau Doi, commander of the KIA 6th Battalion instructed all civilians living in the Ginsi area to flee for their safety in advance of the government push to take the area. Shortly after words the 6th Battalion headquarters in Ginsi fell to government forces.

An estimated 3,000 people from the Ginsi region have been forced to flee from their homes since the beginning of the year. Most are believed to be sheltering in churches and Buddhist monasteries in Hpakant, Lawng Hkang and Seng Tawng.


www.kachinnews.com
www.burmese.kachinnews.com
www.kachin.kachinnews.com


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