KIO says 21 clashes have taken place since May agreement

Speaking to the AP news wire service via email, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) spokesman La Nan confirmed that 21 separate armed clashes between government troops and the KIO have taken place since both sides met for peace talks at the end of May, AP reported on Sunday.

The talks which took place in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina resulted in a 7-point agreement being reached by both sides, under which they pledged to decrease military tensions and work towards a future agreement.

Despite the fact that the vaguely worded 7-point agreement was hailed as a “breakthrough” by some of those involved in the negotiations including Min Zaw Oo of the state backed Myanmar Peace Center, the reality on the ground in northern Burma has not changed significantly. Few if any of the more than 100,000 refugees who have been displaced by the conflict have been able to return home.

Much of the fighting that has taken place recently occurred in northern Shan state. Some clashes such as one that took place last week near Mai Ja Yang have also taken place in Kachin state. Most of the recent clashes between the KIO's armed wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the government have been relatively brief however, a contrast with the heavy fighting that took place at the beginning of the year. KIA troops have been instructed by the commanders not to shoot at Burma units unless they have entered KIA territory.  The KIA has also stopped attacking Burma army supply lines, a tactic that wreaked havoc on the army's attempts to strengthen front line positions. 

La Nan told AP that Burma's military had in fact benefited from the agreement to de-escalate fighting by redeploying troops and ammunition to front line positions.

"It will be correct to say that the government used the opportunity of peace talks to prepare for the next assault," La Nan wrote.

"We cannot build trust just by holding talks," La Nan told AP. "It is necessary to have a firm commitment to resolve this through a political dialogue," he said.

[LARGE][B]100 villagers flee after KIA and army fighting in Shan state[/B][/LARGE]
Earlier this month more than more100 villagers fled their homes in northern Shan state following heavy clashes between Burma army forces and the KIO. The displaced Kachin come from four villages in the Mongkoe area of Muse township, Loi Lawm, Ka Li, Loi Hem and Nam Gut. They fled to safety after heavy fighting took place near Loi Hem on Sunday June 16.

Most of the displaced villagers took shelter in Wing Seng village according to Mang Ying, a volunteer assisting with relief efforts.

On June 14, government troops allegedly summarily executed Zahkung Lum Awng, a Kachin civilian from Nong Hem village according to a friend of the victim's family. It was reported that before he was killed Zahkung Lum Awng was forced by troops to work as their guide in the area.

Local Kachin villagers in Mongkoe region report that government forces operating in the area consider all civilians as if they are part of the KIA and treat them as the enemy. The area which is under the KIA's fourth brigade is home to KIA battalions 36 and 38. A local unit from the Mungshawa Hpyen Hpung, a Kachin civilian militia affiliated with the KIA also operates in the area.

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