The Burma army shelled the Restoration Council of Shan State’s (RCSS) Loikaw Wan base on the Burmese side of the Thai-Burma border, with some shells landing in areas where civilians live.

An RCSS officer told SHAN the military attacked it with two rounds of 120mm mortar at around 5:40pm on April 18. According to the officer, no one was hurt but ten families sought shelter at a safer location.

Over 6,000 Shan civilians live at 5 internally displaced persons camps along the border. Many fled fighting between RCSS and Burma Army a long time ago.

Tachileik Township Border Committee wrote to their Thai counterpart on March 30 informing them of plans to attack RCSS’s southern bases along the Thai-Burma border. The letter followed a visit by Burma Army Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to eastern Shan State.

Before Min Aung Hlaing’s trip, RCSS Chairperson Gen Yawd Serk told Reuters and CNN the ethnic armed organization strongly condemns the regime’s killing of unarmed civilians, vowing to stand with the people if the bloodshed continues.

“Burma Army is crazy just like a yaba addict,” an RCSS officer in Loi Kaw Wan camp told SHAN in late March after news of the letter was leaked.

Shan civil society organizations requested the Thai government to allow Shan IDPs (internally displaced persons) shelter in Thailand if the camps along the border fall under attack.

RCSS signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015 and a bilateral ceasefire in 2012. After the military took over the country, the ten NCA signatories condemned the February 1 coup through its Peace Process Steering Committee.