Burmese government forces have stepped up their offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) with attacks on KIA positions near the group’s headquarters of Laiza, on the Sino-Burmese border. According to a report by the Democratic Voice of Burma, the KIA came under heavy fire in the village of Dawhpumyang, about 11 km southwest of Laiza, all day on Tuesday. “Looking at the way the Burmese Army has been reinforcing troops, it seems like they are looking to capture [the KIA’s] front-line bases,” said Maj Aung Swe Oo of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front, a KIA ally.