Kokang conflict: Chinese beef up vigilance at border

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Kokang

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File photo of PLA. (Wikicommons)

By ECHO HUI
11 March 2015

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Chinese armed forces are on high alert in the

Sino-Burmese border region as clashes between
Burmese soldiers and rebels continue in Kokang.
Security has been tightened after damage from the
violence spread over into Chinese territory on
Sunday, in a sign that authorities are taking more
proactive measures to cool tensions the area.
Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) infantry and
air force increased their presence and upped their
patrols along the border as of Monday, after four
errant bombs, dropped by Burmese planes, exploded
in Chinese villages in Yunnan Province.
On March 8, stray bombs hit the Chinese side and
damaged a civilian residence, said Chinas Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei, in a regular press
conference on Monday. No one was injured or killed,
he said.

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The Chinese side has expressed grave concerns to

Myanmar, asking them to get to the bottom of this
incident as soon as possible and take effective
measures to ensure that such incidents never happen
again, said the spokesman.
Addressing the conflict in the Kokang Special Region,
which has been raging for more than a month
between the Burmese army and ethnic militias, led by
the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army
(MNDAA), Hong urged both sides to exercise
restraint, calm things down on the ground at an early
date, and restore peace and stability in northern
Myanmar [Burma].
The MNDAA says the stray shells were released by
the Burmese air force during a series of air
strikes against the rebel group near the Chinese
border. On 7 March, Burmese fighters took
off from Bhamo, turned away from
Chinese airspace and attacked the MNDAA, a
statement from the group said on Tuesday. On 8
March, the Burmese air force launched an air
strike, and four bombs fell into Chinese territory.

Related
Stories

A video uploaded to the

internet purports to show
two military aircraft flying
across the Chinese
border. DVB cannot
confirm the authenticity of
the footage.

Ethnic army summit

A villager from Mengding

to be held before final

Township in Lincang told

NCA agreement

the Chinese Global Times:

Northern fighting
appeased after NCA
signing

We know that the

Burmese air force is going
after the Kokang rebels,
so [when we saw the

China pressing
ahead with bridge

planes] everyone in the

village ran outside to see

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http://www.dvb.no/news/kokang-conflict-chinese-beef-up-vigilance-at-b...

building despite land

what was going on. But I

dispute, say

did not expect to see

Namhkam locals

the airplanes flying closer

and closer. Suddenly I

saw something fall from above, and then with a

bang there was smoke and dust everywhere.
A newly built house was apparently damaged in the
incident. Although no family members were
injured, they have suffered a lot of psychological
damage. They dont know who to ask for a
compensation for the loss of their new house.
Yebo Htet, a long-time observer of the Sino-Burmese
border, told DVB that on Tuesday, the PLA finally
made the move and deployed troops along the
affected border areas, with local forces having visited
Lincang on Monday to verify the location of the
bombing.
The Chinese military is now appearing in public,
which is a sign that the central government is
adopting a serious attitude to dealing with this, he
said. The air force has also been in the area since 2
March.
The movements of the PLA show that China has a
stronger determination to maintain the stability of the
border area. China wants a ceasefire, he added.
In a press conference on Sunday, Chinas Foreign
Minister Wang Yi emphasised Burmas national
sovereignty, saying: Chinas position is very clear.
What happens there is Myanmars internal affair, and
we hope it can be resolved peacefully.
At the same time, stability must be maintained at the
China-Myanmar border region as well as in northern
Myanmar, because this serves the common interests
of our two countries, and our two peoples, said
Wang.

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Hong Lei

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