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.

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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).

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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.

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A security official told The Express Tribune that at around 5am, a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a security installation. “The target of the attack was the Tochi Scouts,” he said while confirming five deaths and 18 injuries.

However, local sources estimated that around seven dead bodies were recovered from the debris.

The Tochi Scouts are paramilitary troops of the Frontier Corps (FC) deployed mainly in North Waziristan.

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Clashes have erupted along a key overland route that will link the Tavoy deep-sea port megaproject in southern Burma to Southeast Asian economies, once again highlighting the volatility of large-scale infrastructural ventures in Burma.

Burmese troops have been stationed along several locations between the port and the Thai border where work is underway to build a multi-lane highway to the town of Kachanaburi, and then on to Bangkok.

Fighting broke out on Tuesday last week close to the town of Myitta, through which the road will pass.

Territory controlled by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)’s Brigade 4 lies close to the region of Tavoy that is being transformed into Southeast Asia’s largest industrial complex, and the group has actively opposed the project:

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