13 junta soldiers killed in a clash with SSA

By: Yawd Lao

On 30 November 2007, a patrol from Infantry Battalion 259 made a search of opium from house to house in Pang Pi village, Mongpan township, and confiscated 70 viss (112 kg) of opium from the family of Phaw Ga, 40, and Pa Phoong and 40 viss (64 kg) from other families. No one was arrested.
 
"In the past, if any opium were found, villagers were fined millions of kyat and cows, buffaloes and chickens were demanded as extra fine," said a Pang Pi resident.
 
On 1 December 2007, a Shan State Army (SSA) unit from Brigade 756 commanded by Maj. Khur Lao, had ambushed the patrol. 13 Burmese soldiers were killed in the ambush, but no casualties on the SSA side. The attack was 30 minutes long from 7-7:30 a.m.
 
According to a resident of Mongpan, the Burma Army patrol later claimed that the opium was seized from the SSA.
 
"The remaining soldiers reported to their senior officers that they seized 70 viss(112 kg) of opium from the SSA-S after the attack. They sold the rest, 30,000 Kyat per viss back to the villagers while the current opium price is 6-700,000 Kyat," he said.
 
The SSA however denied knowledge of the opium seizure. "We heard only that they were in the village," explained a Shan fighter. "So we waited to attack them on their way back."