At least two villagers were killed by shelling and another 300 fled their homes amid fighting between Burmese armed forces and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in northern Shan State.

According to TNLA’s news and information department, two local people in Wan Penghoi Village, Kutkhai Township, were killed and another was seriously injured earlier this week when Burmese army battalion 45 launched artillery shells at TNLA positions near the village.

“Tar Aik Tae, 44, died at the scene,” the TNLA reported. “His wife Yar Aye Am, 41, was taken to hospital and pronounced dead later. Tar Aik Sam, 53, was seriously injured.”

A week of ongoing hostilities also forced villagers to flee their homes in Namhsan Township’s Man Lan village.

“In Lashio Township, there are currently 141 evacuees sheltering in Khur Nong Mon temple; 87 people at Shwe Kyethi Thatanar temple; and 79 in Aung Yartharnar temple,” resident Sai Seng told Shan Herald. He said that the temples were helping gather support for the evacuees, but rainy season conditions were exacerbating the problems.

The TNLA news reported that some villagers had been captured and detained by the Burmese army, according to a joint statement on June 27 by the Ta’ang Women’s Organization and Ta’ang Youth Organization. The statement urged both sides to cease hostilities and release all detainees immediately.

Fighting between Burmese units and the TNLA has broken out regularly in various areas in northern Shan State, including Namhsan, Kyaukme, Kutkhai, Muse and Namkham.

The TNLA was excluded from the first round of peace talks, unofficially dubbed the 21st Century Panglong Conference, or 21CPC, in 2016. However, the group did attend the second round of political dialogue, represented as a member of the newly formed Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC), which is headed by the United Wa State Army (UWSA).