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Burma’s government signed a cease-fire agreement Thursday with ethnic Karen rebels in a major step toward ending one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies and meeting a key condition for better ties with the West.
The talks between officials and Karen National Union leaders were part of efforts by Burma’s new, nominally civilian government to seek international legitimacy through democratic reforms after years of military repression.
The bullet-riddled bodies of the missing 10 were found dumped in Dabori town of the tribal area.
One security official said 23 soldiers were attacked in the late-night attack by up to 100 heavily armed militants.
“They killed 13 soldiers and took away 10. The bodies (of the 10) were found in Dabori today,” said another source on condition of anonymity.
A recent offensive by Burmese government forces against the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in the Hpakan jade mining area in the west of Kachin state, has forced hundreds of local villagers to flee for their safety, according to refugees in the area.
An estimated 300 people have taken shelter in a Kachin Baptist church in Lawng Hkang town, with others seeking refuge in a nearby Catholic Church or with friends, our source said.
Earlier this week the KIO enacted a complete ban on all public travel along the Hpakan jade mining road due to the ongoing conflict with the Burmese army.
Burmese government troops this week mounted an aggressive assault to overrun another strategic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) base in Lwaigyai near the Sino-Burma border.
According to the KIA, more than 90 battles or clashes have broken out since the president ordered his commanders to put an end to hostilities in the northern region.
More than 160 clashes between government forces and Kachin troops were recorded by the KIA for the month of December—more than 90 of which broke out after the presidential order on Dec. 10, said La Nan, the spokesman for the KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
A huge car bombing in the restive southwestern city of Quetta killed at least 10 people and wounded 23 people on Friday evening, according to police officials.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, a shadowy banned separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack and said that the blast was carried out by a suicide bomber, according to the local news media.