Wa not joining battle with Shans

No.03 - 12/2006
16 December 2006 
War
 
Wa not joining battle with Shans
 
A United Wa State Army (UWSA) official has spurned reports about its troops coming down from its headquarters on the Sino-Burma border to join hands with the Burma Army against the Shan State Army (SSA) South base of Loi Kawwan on the Thai-Burma border.
 
The official who asked not to be identified told S.H.A.N. bluntly, "All of these reports are false."
 
The latest of those "false" reports says a two UWSA battalion force led by Col Nyi Kaw had arrived from Mongpiang in the north to Wanhong, the UWSA base near Monghsat, on Thursday (14 December). He was accompanied by lieutenant colonels Ai Tun and Yang Guojong, commanders of Battalion 97 and Battalion 107 respectively.
 
The source explained that the troops were part of the 171st Military Region that is responsible for the security of Thai-Burma border areas under the UWSA control and not fresh troops from Panghsang, the Wa capital on the Sino-Burma border. The roads were damaged during the monsoons and the said units had been assigned to repair the section between Mongpiang and Monghsat, according to him.
 
World Politics Watch reported earlier (13 December) that past conflicts between the UWSA and the SSA were due to disinformation provided by the Burmese intelligence.
 
Meanwhile, the SSA reported that the Burma Army had replaced the Mongpiang-based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 360 with LIB 314 from Kengtung on 12 December at Loi Maemaw facing the SSA's Loi Kawwan. "So far 7 battalions (about 700) have been deployed against us, instead of the usual 3 (about 300)," said Lt-Col Gawnzuen, the SSA commander at Loi Kawwan. "But reports also say Lt-Gen Kyaw Win (who oversees special operations in Shan and Kayah states) is still hanging around eastern Shan State since his arrival last month from the new capital, which is quite unusual."
 
Sources in Tachilek, across Maesai, also told S.H.A.N. the city has been placed on high alert and religious festivals in the surrounding villages have been put on hold by the authorities.
 
According to a recent SSA bulletin in Shan, ten clashes have taken place between the Burma Army and the SSA since 20 October, resulting in at least 18 dead and 19 wounded on the Burma Army side and 1 dead on the SSA side.