Civilian casualties high in Kyaukme by TNLA’s military assaults
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Tun Mon Thet and Thuta Kyaw (NP News) - July 8
The Ta’ang insurgents TNLA, the so-called Ta’ang National Liberation Army, has initiated Part 2 of Operation 1027 in northern Shan State which bleaches the Haigeng Agreement although the Myanmar Tatmadaw respects the agreement provisions and the enemies. Conflicts resumed on 25 June by the TNLA’s military assaults.
Reports stated high civilian casualties in Kyaukme, Nawngkio, Mogkok, and in Lashio as well where the Kokang insurgent MNDAA, the so-called Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army which lately involved in the second phase of battlefields.
Among those conflict areas, civilian fatality is found highest in Kyaukme although 80 percent of the city-dwellers had already left the town. A Kyaukme resident reported that at least 21 civilians sacrificed their lives within three days after commencing the conflicts within the city by the TNLA.
Fire exchange isn’t unusual for Kyaukme Town and the TNLA troops have already invaded the city as civilian imposters since last week.
The Kyaukme resident said, “The TNLA and PDF terrorists launched fire from the edge of the town in the earlier days. However, they besieged the town two days after they had initiated the military assaults. The TNLA soldiers invaded houses and residential gardens within the city, and built their defenses within the houses and compound; therefore, a fire exchange occurred. After three days, a total of 21 civilians died in the conflicts. There was no such incident in our town before. All residents are very frightened now.”
According to the Kyaukme residents, the TNLA soldiers take cover of the civilians as human shields since they occupied the houses, especially the reinforced concrete houses with two or three-storied buildings.
The resident said, “On 30 June, the hotel ‘One Love’ and Sin Phyu Taw bakery house were dropped bomb since there were TNLA soldiers. They built their camps in those RC buildings.” Since the TNLA soldiers occupied those places forcibly, some owners ran away while some couldn’t escape and were forced to serve cooking and staff for the TNLA soldiers.
He continued, “The city wasn’t destroyed that much when Tatmadaw and RCSS (Restoration Council for Shan State) fought each other in the past in Kyaukme Town. In my opinion, they (the TNLA) try to seize Kyaukme based on racial revenge. They have been dreaming of establishing the Ta’ang (Palaung) State since 2019 when they announced and released their declaration statement. We see them (the TNLA) as destroying the city rather than conquering it.”
** Ta’ang and Palaung are interchangeably used. **
Official Palaung Self-Administered Zone territory Under to Section 56 (d) of the 2008 Constitution, the Palaung Self-Administered Zone was established, consisting of Namhsan and Manton townships in northern Shan state. It is one of five self-administered zones and divisions in Shan state. There are 55 village tracts composed of 284 villages in the SAZ.
Population
Different ethnicities involving Palaung (Ta’ang), Lisu, Kachin, and Shan live in the territory with 83 percent, 4 percent, 4 percent, and 3.6 percent respectively. The total Ta’ang population within the territory is estimated at 100,000. Statistics stated that the total manpower in the TNLA was 10,000 maximum in the previous period. TNLA’s forcibly recruitment alternatively drives the Ta’ang ethnics and youths who want to live peacefully in the area to depart for other cities and towns.