• Burmese
Saturday, July 12, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
24 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Civilians Displaced as Ta’ang, Shan Armed Groups Clash in Northern Shan State

Lawi Weng by Lawi Weng
February 11, 2016
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Civilians Displaced as Ta’ang

 Soldiers from the Shan State Army-South march in formation during a military parade celebrating the 69th Shan State National Day at Loi Tai Leng

4.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — More clashes have been reported between the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Shan State Army-South this week, with both armed groups trading blame over the cause of hostilities.

Fighting has been reported on successive days since Feb. 7 across three townships in northern Shan State—Namkham, Namhsan and Kyaukme.

According to local media reports, several hundred villagers from Tauk San in Kyaukme Township have fled their homes as clashes continue.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar People Skeptical of Junta’s Promises of Election, Peace

Myanmar People Skeptical of Junta’s Promises of Election, Peace

July 7, 2025
1k
Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations

Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations

July 31, 2024
3.2k
Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade

Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade

February 21, 2024
1.8k

Col Sai Hla, a spokesperson for the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the political wing of the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), claimed Ta’ang forces attacked their base in Namkham on Sunday.

“They came to attack our new base where we set up on a mountain. They could not take our mountain post as our armed forces fought back,” Sai Hla told The Irrawaddy.

“They burned some houses at a village in Kyaukme Township. They even arrested some villagers, including monks who tried to help the villagers escape.”

Tar Bong Kyaw, general secretary of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), denied the claims, while acknowledging that Ta’ang forces had arrested members of the RCSS.

The TNLA general secretary also repeated a claim, first leveled in November last year, that the SSA-S was cooperating with the Burma Army—an accusation the Shan armed group has repeatedly denied.

“The RCSS troops wait to fight us outside [Kyaukme] town in order to get help from the Burma Army,” said Tar Bong Kyaw, claiming that the SSA-S was able to freely pass through checkpoints manned by government troops in the area. He further alleged that the Burma Army had provided Shan forces with ammunition.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy, Col Sai Hla refuted the allegations which have been hotly debated among Burmese social media users this week.

The RCSS was among eight armed groups that signed the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government in mid-October. The TNLA by contrast was not recognized by the government and excluded from the negotiations.

At a recent event to mark Shan National Day in Loi Tai Leng, the remote mountain headquarters of the SSA-S, RCSS chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk spoke positively of the ceasefire pact.

“Signing the NCA is a way to unity, as it is signed between the government and the armed groups of both sides who think for the public,” he told The Irrawaddy. “When the public cooperates, it will be successful.”

According to two Ta’ang civil society organizations, over 550 villagers from Law Naw in Namkhan Township have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing hostilities.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the Ta’ang Women’s Organization and the Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization also alleged that the RCSS had been forcibly recruiting villagers in southern Shan State.

‘We Need to Fight Back’

Representatives of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) met with Yawd Serk in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai in December in a bid to alleviate tensions in northern Shan State.

RCSS is not a member of the ethnic alliance, which includes the TNLA and whose membership is comprised of groups that opted against signing the NCA.

Nai Ron Tein, deputy communications officer for the UNFC, told The Irrawaddy this week that leaders of both sides may meet next week.

Both groups have accused the other of instigating the conflict which first broke out in November. TNLA leaders have viewed the clashes as playing to the time-honored divide-and-rule tactics of the former regime.

“The best solution would be if Yawd Serk’s troops go back to their place [in southern Shan State],” said Tar Bong Kyaw. “For us, we need to fight back as they came to take control of our area and we have no other options.”

The TNLA has in the past fought government troops alongside members of the Kachin Independence Army and the Arakan Army, further raising fears among some observers of the potential for this week’s fighting to cement divisions between ethnic armed groups.

“We do not want to fight against our ethnic armed groups,” said Sai Hla of the RCSS. “It is better to work out how we can stay as one community in Namkham.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaConflict
Lawi Weng

Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations
Politics

Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations

by The Irrawaddy
July 31, 2024
3.2k

Coup-maker Min Aung Hlaing says he needs another six months to impose stability and security, and compile accurate voter lists,...

Read moreDetails
Assamese Journalist Shines Light on One of Asia’s Murkiest Conflicts
Books

Assamese Journalist Shines Light on One of Asia’s Murkiest Conflicts

by Bertil Lintner
January 8, 2024
2.6k

A new book by Rajeev Bhattacharyya charts the history of ULFA, which continues to battle the Indian government, including from...

Read moreDetails
Firefight Erupts as Myanmar Junta Troops Halt PNLO Arms Convoy in Shan State
Burma

Firefight Erupts as Myanmar Junta Troops Halt PNLO Arms Convoy in Shan State

by Brian Wei
January 23, 2024
2.4k

The PNLO burned the weapons rather than hand them over. The group’s leader said the incident would not affect his...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Northern Alliance ‘Not Interested’ in Empty Peace Talks With Junta
Interview

Myanmar’s Northern Alliance ‘Not Interested’ in Empty Peace Talks With Junta

by The Irrawaddy
July 27, 2023
2.2k

A representative from the ethnic armed coalition sheds light on its latest meeting with the military regime.

Read moreDetails
Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade
Myanmar-China Watch

Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade

by The Irrawaddy
February 21, 2024
1.8k

Wang Yubo’s visit to Naypyitaw is the first by a senior Chinese official since Beijing brokered a ceasefire between ethnic...

Read moreDetails
Inspiring Women of Burma  
Burma

Inspiring Women of Burma  

by The Irrawaddy
March 18, 2016
33.6k

The contributions of some of Burma’s leading female figures are highlighted in the final part of a series that ran...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Detained Student Activists Mark Early Valentine’s Day at Court Appearance

Detained Student Activists Mark Early Valentine’s Day at Court Appearance

Authorities Demand ‘Permission’ for Aung San Birthday Celebrations

Authorities Demand ‘Permission’ for Aung San Birthday Celebrations

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

3 days ago
1k
Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

3 days ago
1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KIA Denies Rumor Chief Under House Arrest in China

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.