Burmese army and Kachin rebels clash, 20 people die, Chinese workers flee
Fighting first erupted on Tuesday afternoon when Burmese troops took a key mountain position, said Kachin Independent Army (KIA) spokesman James Lum Dau. “This will spread to many areas,” he added, accusing the government of moving into regions held by the armed ethnic group.
Casualties include a KIA soldier allegedly tortured to death by Burmese troops, a claim that could not be verified. For their part, Myanmar authorities have not reported any fighting.
Clashes are centred in omauk, a town in Kachin state, not far from the Chinese border, not far from where the China Datang Corp is building a hydroelectric plant to provide energy to China’s factories.
When violence broke out near the dam on the Taping River, about a hundred Chinese engineers and workers were repatriated in a hurry. About 2,000 local residents also fled. Chinese sources that about 30 workers were caught up in the fighting and are now in the hands of army troops.
The recent clash between Kachin rebels and the Burmese army is the most serious incident since March when the military junta transferred power to a civilian government following last November elections, a change that for most experts is a sham since power remains in the hands of junta leader Senior General Than Shwe.
Experts note that dam building in Burma by Chinese companies has led to tensions and uprising. For the central government, dams provide business opportunities but local communities are stuck with the environmental consequences. In 2010, several attacks were recorded in hydroelectric plant sites.
Despite US and EU sanctions, last year Myanmar received a record level of foreign investments, for a total of about US$ 20 billion, including US$ 8.27 (or 41 per cent) from mainland China.
.png)
