Monday, November 10, 2014

Shan Herald Agency for News

Shan Herald Agency for News

Four civilians in Hsipaw arrested and beaten on suspicion of having contact with Shan State Army

Posted: 10 Nov 2014 01:10 AM PST

Troops from Burma Army LIB 504 arrested four civilians in Hsipaw, northern Shan State, accused them of supporting the Shan State Army (SSA), then sent them to jail at Hsipaw police station on 6th November, according to their relatives.



At 9:15 am, on 5th November, four men from Wan Mai Zan Lake village, Tha Tay tract, Hsipaw Township, were going to a market in Hsipaw town. When the four villagers, named Sai Ka Lar, Sai Kyaw, Sai Hom and Sai Mao, entered Hsipaw, the Burmese soldiers from LIB 504 arrested and beat them, accusing them of having connections to the SSA. They were detained the entire night, and on the next day, 6th November, at 4:30 pm they were sent to Hsipaw police station.

"Four of them came to Hsipaw from Tha Tay in a car in order to buy a motor engine and parts. However, when they entered the town, the Burmese soldiers from LIB 504 stopped their car. After that the Burmese soldiers accused them of being members of armed groups, tied them with ropes and beat them, though no evidence was found," said a local source close to an  army family.

Sources close to the police said the military came and handed over the four civilians on charges of having no driving license and illegal association.
U Sai Nyunt, a member of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) said all four men were ordinary civilians, but that one of them, Sai Hom, had a personal conflict with a military officer. He said he would discuss within his party about securing the villagers' release, and is helping to collect related information and necessary evidence.

"A few months ago, Sai Hom was travelling to town in a small truck, and at that time an army officer was riding on a motorbike with his wife behind the truck. The motorbike tried to overtake the truck but couldn't since the road was bad, so the officer shouted and swore at Sai Hom. Sai Hom was very angry and fired a wooden slingshot at the officer, not knowing he was from the army. Maybe he was arrested because of that," said one of his friends.

The LIB 504 base is located 4 miles from Hsipaw town, and Tha Tay tract is located 7 miles   north of Hsipaw. In June 2013, this same army unit arrested and detained three local civilians for six months, since they found some photos of members of RCSS/SSA in military uniforms in the civilians' MP4 players.

Both the Shan armed groups SSPP/SSA and RCSS/SSA have already signed a union level ceasefire agreement with the Naypyidaw government.

About 1,000 militia forces involved in attacks against SSPP/SSA

Posted: 10 Nov 2014 12:34 AM PST

During their offensive against SSPP/SSA in October, the Burma Army used at least 1,000 People's Militia forces from northern and southern Shan State.



During October 2nd to 30th, there were 41 clashes in total during the Burma Army offensive operation targeting the bases of SSPP/SSA in the townships of Hsipaw, Mongyai, and Ke See. During their attacks the Burma Army was also using forces from the local People's Militias, said an officer of a People's Militia who wants to remain unnamed.

"The local People's Militia from the south had to send 50 troops to Keng Tong for military training. The People's Militia from the north had to go to Man Kat, at Tangyan Township for  training. The training was related to how to seize bases, and after their training they were sent to the front line," said the militia officer.

One of the SSPP/SSA commanders on the frontline said he heard soldiers speaking in Shan from the Burma Army camp base. "Amongst the soldiers who were killed in the battle, the Burma Army only collected their Burmese soldiers' bodies, not those of the People's Militia forces. A civilian car was forced to carry nine soldiers' corpses to Ke See, and none of them was from the People's Militias. They just abandoned those bodies, and due to the smell the villagers and monks had to organize funerals and bury them," said one of the village headmen.

Over ten battalions from Burma Army led some of the forces from People's Militias and carried out attacks targeting the bases of SSPP/SSA in Ta Pha Saung, Kong Mark Hin Tarn, Kong Sao Merng, Kong Mung Merng, Kong Mike Nyaung, and Nam Put. Those battalions were LIB 522 (Lashio), LIB 240 (Hsenwi), LIB 267 (Nam Salarb), LIB 147 (Nong Kaw), LIB 33 (Nam San) under the command of Northeastern Regional Command based in Lashio (Northern Shan State), and LIB 296, LIB 525, LIB 575, LIB 577, LIB 569, LIB 240 under the command of Burma Army's Central Eastern Command in Kholam.

The SSPP/SSA has been conducting ambushes against the Burma Army and People's Militia troops that pass through the townships of Mongyai, Hsipaw, Ke See, and Murng Nong as counter-attacks in response to the Burma Army offensive operations. The fighting caused injuries and deaths on both sides, and four civilians were also killed. The SSPP/SSA has also lost its bases in Ta Pha Saung and Kong Mung Merng to the Burma Army.

It was promised that if the SSPP/SSA withdrew its troops from the base in Ta Pha Saung, the Burma Army would also withdraw their troops. However, up until now the Burma Army troops have remained in that base, and are digging trenches and bunkers, and building barracks. Furthermore, villagers have been forced to provide them with bamboo, wood, and thatch to build their base, according to the villagers.

Though a union level ceasefire agreement between the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army and the Naypyitaw government was signed in January, 2012, the fighting hasn't ceased. Therefore, in order to reduce the fighting the leaders of both sides have been trying to form a joint committee to oversee peace and development in the area.

The People's Militia are armed groups under the control of the Burma Army. There are hundreds of government People's Militia groups (big to small) in northern and Southern Shan State.

UNFC: No deal made with ‘The Lady’

Posted: 10 Nov 2014 12:08 AM PST

Hkun Okker, a key leader of the 12-ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) alliance, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), has for the first time denied publicly that the coalition has any pact formed with Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD).



The UNFC leaders so far have met her in Rangoon twice, first in May and later in August, when the EAOs' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) had been holding Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) negotiations with Naypyitaw's Union Peacemaking Work Committee (UPWC).

Only 4 of the 16 NCCT members (Arakan Liberation Party, Arakan Army, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, and Karen Peace Council) are non-UNFC movements.

According to the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC), unconfirmed reports that the UNFC and Aung San Suu Kyi have agreement that the NCA negotiations and the peace process as a whole should wait until after 2015 elections, when a new government and legislature have come into being, were one of the reasons that the military had stiffened its stance at the latest NCA 4th draft meeting, 22-26 September.

"We don't have any agreement between us," said Hkun Okker. "During both meetings, we informed her what was going on and she in turn told us what she's been doing. Nothing more than that."

Hkun Htun Oo, leader of the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) that has been formed by the 1990 elections winning ethnic parties, regarded as an UNFC ally, has already declared that there is no such agreement among the three.

Many who had believed there were unpublicized agreements between Aung San Suu Kyi, the UNA and the UNFC, were stunned when she announced on 5 November she wouldn't support any constitutional amendment efforts outside the parliament.

In fact, both Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Aik Pao, a leader of the Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), the alliance of the 2010 elections winning ethnic parties; had urged the President and the Commander-in-Chief at the 31 October "Pentapartite" meeting that efforts must be made to complete the NCA negotiations as soon as possible and start the political dialogue.

Speaking on the said meeting, Hkun Okker's comment was:
"We have heard that the C-in-C had strongly recommended that the nation's leaders give more priority to "national politics" rather than "party politics." If it's true, then, he's ignoring the constitution that the military itself had written.

"The 4th national objective, according to the constitution, is to promote a multi-party system. It is not proper that the 6th objective (that the military must have the leading role in national politics) should be prioritized while the 4th objective is being brushed aside."

He also asked the President, now that Burma no longer chairs the 10 nation Asean after 13 November, whether he is going to let the military go on rampage against the EAOs.

The EAOs were not represented at the 31 October meeting in Naypyitaw. 14 leaders that had attended it represented the government, military, legislature, democratic political parties and ethnic political parties.

An academic suggested later that the EAOs should be represented at such a gathering if it is to be meaningful.

BURMA'S ARMED ETHNIC CONFLICT: “Divide and conquer” plus “Fire in one hand and water in the other” strategies?

Posted: 10 Nov 2014 12:06 AM PST

A clear "divide and conquer" policy of the USDP-Military regime has been employed, during its recent October offensive against the Shan State Progress Party/ Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), according to the SHAN report of 6 November.



The report said that no less than 1000 People's Militia troopers from the northern and southern Shan State were used by the Burma Army in its offensive against the SSPP/SSA, quoting a People's Militia commander, who refused to be named. Accordingly, 41 battles were fought between 2nd to 30th October.

The unnamed People's Militia commander said: "The southern militia groups have to contribute 50 troopers each and undergo military exercises. The northern groups have to contribute the same and the military training at Tang Yang township of Marn Kart. It is the sort of military training to attack and overrun enemies camps, after which they have to go to the front line."

One SSA front line commander also confirmed that the usage of "Shan", or better the "Tai", language were heard within the enemy camp located opposite his camp and during the ensuring battles.

"When the Burma Army retrieves the corpses it only chooses the fallen Burmese soldiers and left out the People's Militia's bodies. Of all the nine bodies retrieved, not one single corpse of the People's Militia was included. Because of the stench, the villagers have to bury them, asking the buddhist monks to conduct the last religious rite", said a village headman, who don't want to be known.

According to the report, the Lashio-based Light Infantry Divisions (LID), under North-eastern Command, LID 522, 240, 267, 147, 33 and the Nam San township, Kholam-based LID 296, 525, 575, 577, 569, 240 were involved, together with the People's Militia troops in their offensive against the SSPP/SSA garrisons of Ta Hpa Swang, Kong Ma Hin, Kong Sao Merng, Kong Mung Merng, Kong Mai Nyaung and Nam Puk.

To counter the Burma Army offensives, the SSA conducted ambushes against the Burmese troops and the militias that were active in the area of Mong Yai, Hsi-paw, Khesi and Mong Naung. These military engagements have caused heavy losses for both warring sides, but the tragedy is that four innocent civilians have also lost their lives and the SSA have to abandon Ta Hpa Swang outpost and Kong Mung Merng garrison.

Altogether 41 battles were fought during 2nd to 30th October, in which, according to the SSA source 5 Burmese soldiers were killed and 2 deaths from its own, SHAN source gathered that 16 Burmese soldiers were killed, while SSA suffered 3 deaths.

Although the government side has promised that its troops will withdraw from Ta Hpa Swang bridge, if the SSA move out, the Burmese troops were fortifying the garrison, by pressurring the civilians to dig trenches, strenthening and building living quarters. President Thein Sein has earlier said that both sides should leave the area, to resolve the conflict between the SSA and Burma Army, regarding the garrison of Ta Hpa Swang, which has been an ongoing dispute for quite a while, after the Burma Army demanded the withdrawal of the SSA from the area, which has its troops stationed for years ago.

The SSPP/SSA has signed a union-level ceasefire agreement, on 12 January 2012. But following the agreement, more than hundred of ceasefire violations or fire fights have occurred between the government and SSA troops, mainly due to the Burma Army's policy of "area-cleansing and control", which it insists with the pretext of protecting the country's sovereignty or authority and rule over all the ethnic homelands, as its inalienable right, while the non-Burman ethnic nationalities see that sovereignty of their homelands is their given birthright and are only ready to agree on shared-sovereignty settlement, but not unquestioned surrender, as the Burmese regime would like to have it.

Because of such twisted argument, the Burma Army, posturing as the "bad-cop", goes about with its military solution policy, mounting offensives after offensives, reinforcing troops and demanding "negotiated surrender" of the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAO), during the ceasefire talks. In the meantime, the so-called reform faction of President Thein Sein, headed by U Aung Min in the ceasefire talks continues to play the "good-cop" role by shifting the blame on the unruly military faction or hardliners, headed by Commander-in-Chief, General Min Aung Hliang.

Whatever the case, the military solution is clearly on a quite high priority-setting and the escalation of armed conflict with SSPP/SSA, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Ta-ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Kachin Independnece Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) are not isolated events, but a calculated move to send home the message that resistance to its "negotiated surrender" ploy would be met with military pressure, offensives and suppressions.
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The contributor is ex-General Secretary of the dormant Shan Democratic Union (SDU) — Editor
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