Information has been leaked on the internet that the armed wing of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the People’s Defence Forces are planning to attack the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Shweli in Muse District, northern Shan State.
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A online document bore the seal of the KIA, but the group’s spokesperson, Col Naw Bu, told SHAN, that the leaders of the armed group didn’t know about it.”It’s likely that the KIA frontline troops released the document, but I don’t know how it spread on social media.”
According to local reports, TNLA troops have been patrolling the Shweli Valley since 11 May, which prompted the KIA to act and publish the warning.
Earlier this year, the SSPP also entered the area of Mang Weing Gyi in Mansi Township, Kachin State. A Shan man from the village told SHAN on condition of anonymity that the armed group was still in the area.
“In early January, the SSPP battalion came to Mang Weing Gyi area and questioned locals about how much taxes the KIA collects and whether it discriminates against Shan nationalities living in the area,” the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, told SHAN.
After a week, the SSPP left but returned and set up a camp near Mang Weing Gyi, where KIO officials negotiated with them to leave the area.
Local residents fear a new conflict starting between the three armed groups.
