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By Aung Zaw 28 October 2022
A celebration turned lethal as musicians, businessmen, the Kachin public and senior members of the Kachin Independence Group (KIO) gathered at ANang Pa village on Sunday evening to mark the 62nd anniversary of the KIO, the political wing of the Kachin Independence Military (KIA).
A live performance the place everybody was in a relaxed temper as Kachin singer Aurali took the stage accompanied by music.
Then all of a sudden, jet fighters appeared and dropped a bomb immediately on the stage, blasting our bodies aside and sending them flying by the air. But it surely didn’t cease there, as jet fighters sprayed machine gun hearth over the world.
The lethal airstrike on a civilian space has been broadly condemned as a struggle crime. The village is positioned 3 km from Hpakant in an space managed by KIA Brigade 9.
Yangon-based Western embassies condemned the assault, however the regime insisted it was a army goal. The junta stated the air strike on the live performance was in retaliation for assaults on its army bases by resistance forces. It additionally denied civilians together with musicians have been killed within the bombing and claimed ANang Pa was a KIA ninth Brigade army camp.
These killed included Kachin officers and troopers, musicians and jade-mining enterprise homeowners in addition to different civilians. In line with the KIO, some 10 Kachin army and enterprise VIPs sitting in entrance of the stage merely vanished within the assault.
KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu advised The Irrawaddy that the loss of life toll rose to 75 as of Thursday, with extra in peril of succumbing to their accidents as regime troops block medical remedy. An preliminary loss of life toll record contains senior officers belonging to the ninth Brigade army camp and Individuals’s Protection Drive teams (PDF).
Previous to the bombing, Kachin businessmen reportedly paid a big bribe to the native Myanmar army commander to get unofficial approval for the live performance. They took the cash however the jet fighters dropped their bombs anyway.
The choice to bomb the KIO celebration little question got here from the regime’s prime leaders, Senior Common Min Aung Hlaing and Common Soe Win. It’s broadly believed that the pilot who led the bombing was swiftly promoted. The assault might also increase the morale of the army.
Junta leaders would have celebrated the bombing, little question by opening expensive whisky bottles. Common Soe Win ordered related air raids and missile assaults in Rakhine State earlier than the coup, believing such lethal assaults would scare folks and insurgents. However the worry is the bombing will solely escalate the armed battle and deepen the injuries.
Why the KIO/KIA?
Based on Oct. 25, 1960, the KIO is a robust Kachin political group whose armed wing, the KIA, has been preventing the Myanmar authorities and army for higher state autonomy.
Regardless of an on once more, off once more ceasefire with previous regimes, the KIA has been participating the army in fight for many years.
In November 2014, the army shelled a fight coaching floor on the KIA base in Jawng Rung killing 22 cadets and leaving many wounded. The assault occurred even though at the moment the KIA had entered “peace talks” with the Thein Sein authorities.
Since the coup final 12 months, the KIA has been conducting army operations alongside anti-regime forces in Kachin State. The KIO refused to affix the junta’s peace talks this 12 months, branding them illegitimate. Among the many ethnic armies, the KIA is likely one of the strongest, finest organized, most centralized and most politically savvy. They’re predominantly Christian and Kachin monks are politically influential within the state. They’ve supplied shelter to activists and NLD politicians and lots of professionals who’ve evaded arrest.
The KIA additionally trains younger folks desirous to obtain army instruction. They then ship them again to the central plains or city cities to assault the regime. Many activists in Sagaing Area, the place robust resistance forces proceed to conflict with the army, obtained their coaching from the KIA, which additionally gives small arms and ammunition to trainees earlier than they return. Whereas offering arms coaching to newly arrived younger activists the Kachin have additionally engaged in preventing towards regime troops because the coup. In Might final 12 months the KIA shot down one of many junta’s helicopters throughout an air strike in Momauk Township.
The KIA works carefully with the shadow Nationwide Unity Authorities, whose present performing president is Kachin Duwa Lashi La, a Kachin politician and lawyer.
It’s protected to say that the KIA has gained political help and admiration past the borders of Kachin State, and this has little question infuriated the regime leaders.
However this isn’t all.
Within the current previous, the Kachin additionally supplied shelter and army coaching to a dozen staunch Arakanese nationalists who went on to discovered the Arakan Military (AA) on Kachin soil. At this time, the AA is a robust ethnic military working in northern Rakhine State.
In his response to CNN on Wednesday, the junta spokesman justified the regime’s actions as essential army operations, saying the Kachin ethnic armed group skilled and equipped Individuals’s Protection Forces (PDFs), which the regime has labeled as terrorists, with weapons and ammunition in Sagaing in central Myanmar.
There isn’t any doubt that the KIA is a thorn within the aspect of the army regime.
The regime needed to take revenge towards the Kachin and this bombing might be seen as retribution. This can be a warning to Kachin and different insurgents who’ve been resisting the coup.
Who stands with the Kachin?
The Karen within the south got here out to sentence the assault, calling it a struggle crime. Karen insurgents belonging to the Karen Nationwide Union have additionally been lively in supporting anti-coup resistance teams together with a number of PDF forces in its territory. The regime commonly sends jet fighters to Karen State to bomb villages, refugees and insurgents. However up to now, the air strike in ANang Pa is the deadliest ever.
Other than the KNU, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), together with the Karenni Nationwide Progressive Occasion (KNPP) and the well-known Three Brotherhood Alliance grouping the Ta’ang Nationwide Liberation Military, the Myanmar Nationwide Democratic Alliance Military and the AA, condemned the bombing.
Belatedly, the United Wa State Military (UWSA) and Nationwide Democratic Alliance Military (NDAA) joined in to expressed condolences and shock over the assault.
Nonetheless, some EAOs, together with the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), which continues to carry talks with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, remained silent.
The bombing got here days earlier than the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held a particular assembly of the group’s overseas ministers in Jakarta to debate the stalled peace plan in Myanmar.
“The overseas ministers expressed concern and disappointment over no important progress on the five-point consensus implementation,” Indonesian Overseas Minister Retno Marsudi advised a information convention after the assembly.
“The violent acts must cease instantly. And Indonesia had talked about that this request must be delivered to Tatmadaw [Myanmar’s military] instantly,” stated Retno.
ASEAN overseas ministers and representatives agreed the bloc ought to be “much more decided” to convey a couple of peaceable resolution in Myanmar as quickly as doable, the chair stated in a press release, noting that Myanmar’s state of affairs remained “essential and fragile”.
Fragile?
Min Aung Hlaing, who has been barred from ASEAN summits, has given a center finger to the pathetic ASEAN.
Myanmar immediately is starting to appear like Syria, many contained in the nation say. Killings, focused assassinations, bombings and armed clashes happen each day all through Myanmar.
The bombing in Kachin’s Hpakant will escalate the struggle towards the regime.
Furthermore, this might additionally draw ethnic armed organizations nearer collectively to struggle a typical enemy. Will they?
A number of analysts have predicted {that a} dry season offensive will start within the coming weeks. It seems the vengeful regime determined to kick it off by dropping lethal bombs on the Kachin live performance.
The query is, who can convey Min Aung Hlaing and the regime to justice?
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