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Cry of the innocent in Burma conflict
The Australian - August 31, 2009
Michael Sainsbury, China correspondent – China's ties with Burma face further strain as violence between the military junta and ethnic minorities threatens to build into a regional civil war.
Fighting eased yesterday along China's southern border after clashes between Burmese troops and ethnic rebels sent refugees streaming into China.
At least one person was killed on Saturday and dozens injured when a bomb was tossed over the border into China, a report said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said up to 30,000 people had entered the Chinese border town of Nansan from Burma's Kokang region in northern Shan state this month. Chinese authorities were providing emergency food, shelter and medical care, the UN said.
The Yunnan provincial government said about 10,000 people had crossed into China and authorities were housing some in seven camps at or near Nansan.
At least 25 people had been admitted to Zhenkang County People's Hospital for injuries sustained in the fighting, a hospital official said. Most of the patients were ethnic Chinese from Burma.
The clashes pose a major concern to communist China and its goal of establishing stability ahead of the celebrations on October 1 for its 60th anniversary. Beijing has told Burma to end the fighting to "safeguard regional stability".
The flare-up between the Burmese army and Kokang rebels is the worst escalation of the junta's conflict with ethnic minorities. The Kokang armed forces had killed more than 30 soldiers and captured another 50, Kokang leader Pheung Kya-shin was quoted as saying in China's Global Times.
Another northern ethnic faction known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army reportedly joined the Kokang rebels, sparking fears more groups would band together to create a regional civil war.
China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China hoped Burma would deal with the situation properly, ensure stability along the border and protect Chinese citizens in Burma, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
"China is following the situation closely and has expressed concern to Myanmar (Burma)," Ms Jiang said.
Tensions with China have heightened fears over Burma's emerging relationship with North Korea. China has pumped billions into Burma in a grab for the impoverished nation's abundant natural resources.
An official with the Public Security Bureau in China's Zhengkang county, which oversees the border area, said there had been no reports of fighting since late on Saturday.
In the Chinese border town of Meng Peng, several rebels said they had turned in their weapons to Chinese officials.
"We surrendered our guns.... There was no way we would win," said Ri Chenchuan, a former rebel militia soldier.
The Kokang group speaks Chinese and has received support for decades from China because of its traditional ties to the Communist Party, said Aung Zaw, editor of The Irrawaddy, a magazine run by Burmese exiles. (Additional reporting: AP)
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