YANGON, Burma (AP) — Burma’s military acknowledged launching
airstrikes against ethnic Kachin rebels in the north and said it captured a
hilltop post from where the insurgents had attacked government supply convoys.
The statement broadcast on state
television Wednesday contradicted government claims two days earlier that the
military was not carrying out offensive air attacks on the Kachin, raising
questions about how much control the elected government of reformist President
Thein Sein has over the army.
The United States said Wednesday
the use of air power in Kachin state was “extremely troubling.” In Washington,
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland urged the government and the
Kachin rebel group to cease their conflict and begin a real dialogue for peace.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon called on Burma’s authorities “to desist from any action that could
endanger the lives of civilians living in the area or further intensify the
conflict in the region,” U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Ban called on the
government and rebels to work toward political reconciliation.
Burma state television, quoting
the Defense Ministry, said the military on Sunday occupied a Kachin
Independence Army hilltop post during a mopping-up operation of the area where
attacks had been launched against supply convoys.
The government has been seeking
to supply a base at Lajayang very close to KIA headquarters at Laiza, the rebel
group’s last major outpost.
The government delivered an
ultimatum to the Kachin to clear a road by Christmas Day so it could supply its
base. The Kachin rejected the ultimatum for fear of a government attack on
their own outpost.
KIA spokesman La Nan charged
Monday that the supplies being sent to government troops included ammunition as
well as rice.
“We will obstruct any army convoy
that carries arms and ammunition that will be used against us,” he said. “This
is the nature of war.”
Each side blames the other for
intensified fighting that began a little over a week ago.
The Kachin said Monday they were
being attacked by helicopter gunships and fighter jets, but President’s Office
director Maj. Zaw Htay said the aircraft were being used mainly to supply
government units whose access to supplies by road had been cut off by the
Kachin guerrillas.
“During the attack, the army used
air support,” Wednesday’s report said. It added that the military did not want
to launch an offensive but attacked the outpost to maintain security and
stability.
The report said government troops
seized weapons including mortars, hand grenades, mines and 4,000 rounds of
ammunition.
The military announcement
highlights a seeming disconnect between the government and the military, which
retains much power behind the scenes. An order late last year by Thein Sein to
halt offensive operations against the Kachin was not honored in practice.
The Kachin, like Burma’s other
ethnic minorities, have long sought greater autonomy from the central
government. They are the only major ethnic rebel group that has not reached a
cease-fire agreement with Thein Sein’s government, which came to power in 2011
after almost five decades of military rule.
His government has been hailed
for instituting democratic reforms.
But tension with ethnic
minorities, evidenced by the fighting with the Kachin, is considered a major
long-term problem for the government and a threat to the nascent democracy.
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