No.01 - 01/2006
03 January 2006

War

The big chase

Yesterday, one of the Shan State Army's celebrated military commanders Khun Kyaw aka Than Gyaung, 40, surrendered to the Burma Army after a 4-month hide and seek campaign.

Commander Khun Kyaw

The story begins when on 24 August, Maj-Gen Myint Hlaing, Commander of Lashio-based Northeastern Region Command, fresh from his success in forcing two other ceasefire groups Shan State National Army and Palaung State Liberation Front in April and May, ordered the Shan State Army 'North' to withdraw its Third Brigade from all of its operational area north of the Mandalay-Lashio highway.

Presumably with the aim to fill up the vacuum, the non-ceasefire group Shan State Army 'South' immediately dispatched the 241st Brigade commanded by Khun Kyaw from its main base near the Thai-Burma border.

The Burma Army, however, appeared to have anticipated the move and had placed two infantry battalions, the 23rd and 136th, to block him. The attempt failed prompting the regional commander to alert all of its units in northern Shan State against the SSA-South's 241st.

From the beginning, the Burma Army did not lose sight of Khun Kyaw's passage despite the clashes in Namlan, Nawngkhio, Mongmit and other townships. For while his other units were busy engaging in apparently diversionary attacks, Khun Kyaw with 93 men, crossed the Namtu and made a dash to the Kachin-Yunnan-Shan State border. On 18 December he was reported approaching Namkham township at the Shan side of the triangle.

The small contingent, blocked and surrounded by 20 companies of the Burma Army, tried its best to breach the lines. But it was no match against the Burma Army units and the local populace that were completely intimidated by its forceful regional commander, despite the fact that it managed to emerge on top of each and every clash.

On 2 January, cut off from its rear in the south and rations, Khun Kyaw finally gave up to the inevitable.