APSN | Naypyidaw agrees not to attack Shan rebels again

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Naypyidaw agrees not to attack Shan rebels again

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An uneasy truce has been called between Burmese government troops and ethnic Shan rebels despite fierce fighting breaking out last week which shattered a two-month-old ceasefire.

Clashes between Burmese government forces and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-South) broke out last Tuesday, but officials for both sides met up the very next day with Naypyidaw representatives agreeing not to launch further attacks.

SSA-South's communication official Col Aung Maung and Burmese government army Grade 1 Col Khin Maung Htwe, of Golden Triangle Command, were amongst those who met for talks in Kengtung, Shan State.

Khin Maung Htwe agreed to order government troops on the frontline to stop all military activities against the Shan rebels, said Khunsai Jaiyen, editor of the Thailand-based Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN).

Fighting took place for two days in Mong Ping Township in eastern Shan State between government and Shan forces after a SSA-South military base was attacked. The conflict appeared to have shattered a fragile ceasefire which was signed on Dec. 2, 2011.

The ceasefire was agreed in Shan State capital Taunggyi by representatives of the SSA-South and Burma's Railway Minister Aung Min, who is Naypyidaw's chief peace negotiator with ethnic armed groups.

After last week's attack, the SSA-South sent a letter to Aung Min asking him to explain the incident. But not response has so far been received from the Railways Minister.

However, after Wednesday's meeting between the two sides, the government only kept troops active in the big cities rather than frontline areas in Shan State, said Khunsai Jaiyen.

It has been reported that divisions exist between the Burmese government and its armed forces over ceasefire agreements with ethnic minorities. It seems that the government army ignored Naypyidaw's order to adopt a nationwide ceasefire, added Khunsai Jaiyen.

In December last year, Burma President Thein Sein ordered government troops to stop attacks against the Kachin Independence Army ethnic rebel group in northern Burma. However, the instruction seems to have been ignored as fighting in the area continues today.

Thein Sein once again vowed to end ethnic armed conflicts during a speech on Sunday to mark the Union Day of Burma.

"Participation of the entire national people is sorely needed to bring internal armed conflicts to an end and build lasting peace, and in nation-building endeavors," said Thein Sein in the state-run media.