• Burmese
Monday, July 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
30 °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

Thingyan Brings No Respite in Burma’s Ethnic Conflicts

Nyein Nyein by Nyein Nyein
April 20, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Thingyan Brings No Respite in Burma’s Ethnic Conflicts

A rebel soldier of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army holds his rifle as he guards near a military base in the Kokang Special Region on March 11

3.8k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Fighting flared in the ethnic minority strongholds of northern Shan, Kachin and Arakan states last week even as most of Burma was busy celebrating the Buddhist New Year, casting further doubt on the ability of the government and ethnic armed groups in Burma to achieve a meaningful end to decades of hostilities.

Heavy fighting over the weekend around Laukkai, in northern Shan State’s Kokang Special Region, resulted in dozens of casualties and continued into Monday, according to a spokesman for Kokang rebels in northern Shan State against whom government troops are battling. Prior to that, state media said on Thursday that the military had managed to occupy “the main strategic outposts of the Kokang rebels” after fighting from April 10-16 in which 16 government troops were killed and 110 injured.

Since the fighting broke out on Feb. 9, the Burma Army-run Myawaddy news outlet said a total of 126 government troops were killed and 359 others injured, an acknowledgement of some of the deadliest clashes in years between the government and ethnic armed groups.

RelatedPosts

‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Wwash With Crime

‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Wwash With Crime

July 14, 2025
106
Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Kill 25 on Friday

Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Kill 25 on Friday

July 12, 2025
468
Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

July 12, 2025
524

Over that period, the Burma Army said it had recovered the bodies of 74 Kokang rebel soldiers resulting from 253 hostile engagements with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in Laukkai.

Htun Myat Lin, the MNDAA spokesman, said he could not confirm the government’s claim of having recovered 74 of the rebel group’s soldiers, saying only that “we have not lost many.” He rejected the assertion that the Burma Army had made territorial gains over the April 10-16 period.

Htun Myat Lin said additional intense fighting beginning Sunday in Shikawnin and Shitontshein areas east of Laukkai had killed two MNDAA soldiers and injured one, while the Burma Army lost 21 soldiers and suffered between 65 and 70 injuries.

“Until this morning, the Tatmadaw [Burma Army] has been shooting toward our posts, using 122 mm rocket launchers and shelling at the same time,” the spokesperson said on Monday.

An accurate picture of casualty counts on either side has been difficult to ascertain, with often wide disparities existing between state media accounts of the fighting and Htun Myat Lin’s version of events. The MNDAA spokesman has consistently contradicted Burma Army claims, and vice versa.

In Kachin State’s Hpakant Township, meanwhile, Brigade No. 6 of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) traded fire with the Burma Army over the weekend.

The KIA’s deputy chief of staff, Gen. Gun Maw, told The Irrawaddy that the clash was minor and that Monday brought no reports of further clashes.

The Burma also said last week that it had conducted military operations in western Arakan State, where fighting broke out with Arakan Army troops in the area.

Nyo Tun Aung, the Arakan Army’s deputy chief of staff, told The Irrawaddy that his armed group had lost one soldier during three days of fighting.

“The clashes between the AA’s Brigade No. 5 and Light Infantry Battalion 539 in Kyauktaw Township were heavy and we lost one soldier on the second day, on April 18,” he said.

Clashes between the Arakan Army and the Burma Army, an uncommon occurrence, were first reported on March 29.

Just two days later, however, government negotiations and representatives from ethnic armed groups’ Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) hailed what they called a breakthrough in negotiations aimed at achieving a nationwide ceasefire accord. The NCCT considers both the Arakan Army and MNDAA to be part of its alliance, though the government does not recognize their memberships.

Additional reporting by The Irrawaddy’s Kyaw Kha.

Your Thoughts …
Nyein Nyein

Nyein Nyein

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.5k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.9k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87.1k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
47k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.8k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
‘History May Blame Those Who Refuse to Hold Talks’

‘History May Blame Those Who Refuse to Hold Talks’

Crafting a Better Life

Crafting a Better Life

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

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

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

5 days ago
1.2k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

6 days ago
1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

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

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

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

    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.