Hundreds Of Burmese Army Officers Arrive In Bhamo

In an unusual move, hundreds of Burmese Army officers are being ferried in ships to Bhamo, the second largest city in Kachin State, northern Burma by the military junta, said eyewitnesses.

Hundreds of Burmese Army officers of the ranks of Lieutenant upwards, from lower Burma, are being transported to the Irrawaddy River (Mali Hka in Kachin) port in Bhamo in groups on ships, the eye eyewitnesses, added.

An eyewitness told KNG today, "Three or four times, I saw Burmese Army officers arriving in the Bhamo port every evening. Each ship carried about 200 Burmese Army officers. But there were no soldiers".

The newly arrived Burmese Army officers were welcomed by Burmese soldiers from different army battalions in Bhamo, said eyewitnesses.

Local sources close to the Burmese Army in Bhamo said, the new arrivals will be sent to Burmese Army battalions in Kachin State.

Source close to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) said a sniper force of the Burmese Army has already been deployed in Shwegu areas in Kachin State. Movement of Burmese Army soldiers are also being seen around the KIA's Battalion 12 near Shwegu.

Given the activities of the Burmese soldiers in Shwegu, the KIA is also preparing to defend itself from the Burmese Army, KIA sources said.

Meanwhile, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the political wing of KIA is going to send, what could be its final message demanding self-determination, to the leader of the ruling junta in Naypyitaw, the capital of the country. The message is being despatched through a group of civilian mediators, said KIO officials in Laiza headquarters in Kachin State.

The KIO’s latest move reveals that it would like to discuss self-determination of the state with the ruling junta rather than the meaningless issue of transforming the KIA to the junta-proposed Border Guard Force (BGF), said KIO officials.

At the same time, soldiers from both sides are secretly preparing for a resumption of the inevitable civil war in Kachin State, said local sources close to the two sides.