Ethnic Armed Forces Defeat Myanmar Military In Shan, 11 Soldiers Killed Including Deputy Battalion Commander

Myanmar military ammunition seized by ethnic armed alliance. (Twitter/@The74Media2019)

JAKARTA - Myanmar's military regime has received another heavy blow from ethnic armed forces in fighting in Shan State, Monday, May 31.

11 junta soldiers were killed, including a deputy battalion commander when an alliance consisting of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and Arakan Army (AA) attacked the 123 Light Infantry Battalion in Namt Phat Kar, Kutkai Township, Shan State

The attack was carried out by an armed ethnic alliance against battalion soldiers inside the Namt Phat Kar village electricity office, according to local residents.

Witnesses said the armed ethnic alliance opened fire at midnight local time. The gunbattle lasted until 4 a.m. with losses on the military side, in which the soldiers were killed and the material in the form of ammunition was taken by the ethnic armed alliance.

An officer from the Brotherhood Alliance confirmed the fighting but declined to provide details about the clashes or the ammunition seized. Meanwhile, Kokang News Agency reported that the Brotherhood Alliance confiscated five rifles and more than 100 rounds of ammunition from the junta soldiers, publishing photos of what it said were confiscated weapons.

The news agency also quoted fighters from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA) who belonged to the alliance, claiming that junta soldiers had used methamphetamine.

"We started hearing gunshots at around 00.00 a.m. and continued until 04.00 a.m. The attack was aimed at a military unit in the power office complex. Clashes in Kutkai have been going on for several days. A woman from Namt Phat Kar village was injured in one of her arms. Several houses were lightly damaged", said a member of the Humanitarian Strategic Team - Northern Shan State (HST-NSS) in The Irrawady, Tuesday, May 1.

It is known that the Brotherhood Alliance was in the process of signing a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar military, when the coup took place on February 1 and the talks automatically broke down.

While negotiating a bilateral ceasefire agreement, both sides announced and extended a unilateral ceasefire from December 2018 to March this year.

The alliance's decision in March to extend a unilateral ceasefire by one month drew widespread criticism among the Myanmar public, as the military regime has used deadly force against anti-regime protesters.

The alliance has not extended a ceasefire since April. On April 10, a police post in Naung Mon village in Lashio in northern Shan State came under severe attack. Fourteen police officers were killed in the attack, but the alliance did not claim responsibility.

Although the alliance has not extended its ceasefire, the Myanmar military regime has extended its unilateral ceasefire on a monthly basis. On Sunday, the agreement was extended again until June 30.

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