Coup in Kachin denied by spokesman

Coup in Kachin denied by spokesman 

A spokesman for the Kachin refuted S.H.A.N.'s reporting of the coup d'etat in one of Burma's strongest ethnic groups this morning. 

James Lumdau, spokesman for Kachin Independence Organization, referring to S.H.A.N.'s report on 24 February of the coup on 20 February that toppled Kachin President and Commander-in-Chief Zau Mai, said: "It wasn't a coup at all but a collective decision made by the ad hoc meeting held on 20-23 February."

He confirmed that the only unfilled office was that vacated by Vice President Tu Jai, who succeeded the outgoing Zau Mai. The rest, including Secretary-General Zawng Hkra and Assistant Secretary- General Gauri Zau Seng, remain in their respective offices. 

Latest reports from northern Shan State, however, re-confirmed S.H.A.N.'s earlier reports that there was a "forced takeover" by the Kachins' "Young Turk" officers. 

A longtime Kachin observer in Thailand remarked, "Kachins are different from other peoples in Burma in character. Whereas others are more distinctly individualistic, they are communalistic. Whether one likes it or not, they stand together. Outsiders, as a result, rarely knows what's happening there unless and until they tell you." 

Tu Jai, 71, is the 4th leader of the Kachin movement, following Zau Seng (who was assassinated under mysterious circumstances in 1975), Brang Seng (who died in 1994) and Zau Mai, 65.