Ignoring China's Requests Ahead Of Beijing Winter Olympics, KIA Continues Fighting Against Myanmar Regime

KIA Soldiers, the armed wing of the Kachin State armed forces. (Wikimedia Commons/Paul Vrieze/VOA)

JAKARTA - China has urged the Kachin Independence Army/Organization (KIO/A) to refrain from fighting the Myanmar military, including in areas near the Chinese border, ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics starting February 4, according to a KIO statement published on Wednesday. .

The statement said, the request of the Bamboo Curtain Country is a serious matter that must be addressed for the sake of regional security.

"To address the current crisis and to realize the federal democracy that the public hopes for, the KIO central committee will collaborate with all organizations we can," the statement said.

KIO spokesman Colonel Naw Bu confirmed the Chinese government had contacted the group, asking them not to clash with the Myanmar army throughout February, when the Winter Olympics and Paralympics were scheduled to take place.

He acknowledged the importance of regional stability, but told Myanmar Now that his organization would continue to oppose the junta.

"We support the end of the dictatorship. We uphold our goal, which is to fight against the dictatorship with other organizations that have a common goal," he quoted Myanmar Now January 27.

KIO's announcement Wednesday was not a request for other armed groups to stop fighting the junta, nor an offer of a ceasefire to the military council, Colonel Naw Bu explained.

The seven-point statement condemned the widespread displacement in Myanmar and called on the military to respect the political will of the people, to stop targeting civilians, allow humanitarian aid to reach the public.

KIO also warned the military would face complete annihilation, if fighting with resistance forces continued in the long term. The military council has not yet responded to KIO's statement.

The Junta-controlled newspaper reported on Monday that the army had seized commodities from a civil society organization in Loikaw, Karenni State that they suspected were meant to be distributed to the anti-dictatorship People's Defense Force.

Among the items seized were thousands of packets of instant noodles, cured meats, cooking oil and basic hygiene supplies, according to photos released by the military.

It is suspected that the items were donations for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Karenni State. Colonel Naw Bu criticized the military for preventing aid from reaching people in need.

"The military is trying to intercept the support provided by the international community for IDPs. This is very worrying," he criticized.

For information, KIA, which is based in Laiza on the border of Kachin-China State, has seized several Myanmar military bases and posts since the military coup on February 1 last year.

The organization has also collaborated with the underground Government of National Unity (NUG), providing military protection and training for civilians who have chosen to join the armed struggle against the junta.

The Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to unify the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continued to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.