Government claims Laiza shelling was a “warning shot”

Burma Army's Light Infantry Division No. 66 troops are taking position near KIA battalion 6 in Hpakant jade mine, Kachin state

Following the Burma's army shelling of a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) training ground near Laiza on Wednesday government officials have repeatedly claimed that the lethal attack was not deliberate. A claim hotly contested by the KIA and its political wing the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

The Global New Light of Myanmar, a state controlled newspaper, reported on Friday that the shelling which resulted in the deaths of 23 people was intended as a warning shot. "The Tatmadaw (army) camp fired a warning shot of a large-calibre weapon which fell and exploded at a KIA camp, causing casualties," said the newspaper.

Similarly Col Than Aung the Kachin State government's Minister for Border affairs and Security told reporters on Thursday in Myitkyina that the attack was not intentional.

“Sporadic clashes have been going on between the government forces and the Kachin rebels since the road construction started. In recent clash, we retaliated by shelling the suspected rebel positions but instead it hit the cadet training school in the KIA’s area. It was not intentional. We are sorry for that,” Col Than Aung told the privately owned Daily Eleven newspaper. A claim many Kachin found hard to believe as the clashes Col Than Aung referred to were not near the training academy.

Col Than Aung refused to tell Daily Eleven what kind of shell was used. The KIA claims that the army fired 105mm shells in the lethal attack. This is significant as under normal Tatmadaw procedure large calibre shells are only used with the go ahead from senior military officials.

When asked about the incident during an interview with Voice of America on Thursday President Thein Sein's comments appeared to suggest that the attack was the fault of the KIA. "Skirmishes are continuing to this day, but we have ordered our troops not to attack their camps," he claimed. "Still, everyone has the right to defend his life. So, other than [in cases of] self-defense, our troops will not attack," Thein Sein added.