Myanmar junta hit Indian territory during strike on rebel camp, say witnesses

[IAJ]

Locals in Farkawan village said that two bombs were dropped on the Indian side of the border but no one was hurt

Full report:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ory-during-strike-on-rebel-camp-say-witnesses

What's happening in India?

 

[Major]

I thought Myanmar and India did not share a border and was easily accessbilie for the people.

 

[NishanKonar]

Locals in Farkawan village said that two bombs were dropped on the Indian side of the border but no one was hurt

Full report:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ory-during-strike-on-rebel-camp-say-witnesses

What's happening in India?

India & Myanmar border is like Pak-Afghan border. Mostly hilly and forested with many tribes and clans divided on either side of the border. And lots of militant groups have camps in these border areas

Last few years there is big influx of refugees in India from the Myanmar side after the military coup. Becoming a big headache for Indian govt now

 

[JaDed]

I thought Myanmar and India did not share a border and was easily accessbilie for the people.

It’s not easily accessible but there are issues in the border not between the two countries though.. but Im guessing insurgents on both sides.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Myanmar rebel group claims control of India border town

Ethnic insurgents in western Myanmar say they have captured an important town on one of the main routes to India from military forces.

The Arakan Army (AA) - one of three armed groups that launched a major new offensive against the military in October - says it has taken control of Paletwa, in Chin State.

"There is not a single military council camp left in the entire Paletwa area," the group said on its Telegram channel.

Myanmar's military has not commented.

Developments in Paletwa - which lies close to Myanmar's border with India and Bangladesh - will be closely watched by Delhi. The town is part of an ongoing multi-million-dollar development project backed by India that aims to improve connectivity in the remote region.

The AA is one of the newest but best-equipped of Myanmar's many ethnic armed groups, and has been battling the military - and gaining ground - in Rakhine State, and parts of neighbouring Chin State, for several years. Even before the military grabbed power in February 2021, AA fighters had made significant gains in Rakhine. Two years ago, it claimed to control 60% of the state.

But at the time of the 2021 coup, it was observing a ceasefire, and the army avoided confrontations with it so it could concentrate its efforts on crushing opposition to the coup.

However, last October, the AA announced it was joining the wider struggle against military rule as part of the Brotherhood Alliance, and launched a series of attacks against a military badly overstretched by opposition to its coup across much of the country.

And over the past 11 weeks, the alliance has inflicted a series of humiliating defeats on the military along the Chinese border.

Then last Saturday - on the other side of the country - the AA took control of the last military post in Paletwa township, the hilltop base at Meewa, which back in 2020 it had been unable to take after 42 days of fighting.

With the port of Paletwa on the Kaladan River under its control, the AA now controls road and water transport to the Indian border, and has a logistics base from which it can plan further attacks in Rakhine State.

The loss of any of the main towns in Rakhine to the insurgents would be a devastating blow to the authority of the military. It is reported to be using airstrikes and helicopter gunships to try to prevent the AA from advancing to the town of Kyauktaw, which sits astride the main road linking the Rakhine capital Sittwe with the rest of Myanmar.

It is not clear yet what the AA will do next. It may wish to consolidate the gains it has made and minimise further losses in its ranks. Its avowed goal is some form of independence or autonomy within a federal state, which its leadership now appears to have decided is best achieved under a new, elected government rather than under military rule.

The bigger question now after the fall of Paletwa is whether the junta can restore morale in its own ranks, and persuade its soldiers to keep fighting against opposition which now comes from so many quarters.

Source: BBC

Myanmar rebel group claims control of India border town

The Arakan Army says it has taken control of Paletwa, in Chin State, a key trading post with India.

www.bbc.com

 

[Champ_Pal]

India should not allow any group to operate from within its boundaries that attacks its neighbors. If the Tribal groups have issues, they need to find a different way to solve their issues.

 

[JaDed]

Such a misleading headline the town is it at India’s border not in India, it’s more of a threat to Myanmar than India.

 

[FearlessRoar]

India plans to erect a fence along its vast and porous frontier with Myanmar and will scrap a free movement border zone agreement, Indian media reported on Sunday.

The announcement by Home Minister Amit Shah comes after hundreds of troops from Myanmar who were fleeing insurgent attacks crossed into India.

The government had “decided to fence the entire open India-Myanmar border”, Shah said on Saturday during a visit to the northeastern state of Assam.

The frontier stretches for more than 1,200 kilometres, ranging from remote jungle to soaring snow-capped Himalayan peaks.

Shah, who gave no details of a timeframe or how the fence would be built, said the government would also end a free movement agreement.

The deal allows those living in border zones to venture a short distance into each other’s territory without a visa.

Many in the border zones share close cultural and religious ties.

“We are going to end this facility,” Shah said, according to a video posted by the Times of India.

India has already fenced more than 2,000 kilometres of its border with Pakistan, and at least 3,100 kilometres with Bangladesh, according to government statistics from 2021.

Parts of Myanmar near the Indian border have seen frequent clashes since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a 2021 military coup.

In October, an alliance including AA insurgents and other ethnic minority fighters launched a joint offensive across northern Myanmar, seizing vital trade hubs on the Chinese border.

Earlier this month, the alliance announced a China-mediated ceasefire, but it does not apply to areas near the Indian border, where fighting continues.

Source: Dawn

India plans to fence off Myanmar frontier

Home Minister Amit Shah says govt has “decided to fence the entire open India-Myanmar border”.

www.dawn.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Myanmar's army is losing - and facing fire from a militant monk


Last Tuesday, a noisy crowd of several hundred people stood in the small main square of Pyin Oo Lwin, a popular Myanmar hill town, to hear a bespectacled monk make a startling suggestion.

Min Aung Hlaing, the country's military ruler, should step aside, he said, and let his deputy General Soe Win take over.

The man who led the 2021 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, provoking a catastrophic civil war, has faced plenty of international censure, and is loathed by much of Myanmar's population.

This though was criticism from an unusual quarter. The monk, Pauk Ko Taw, is part of an ultra-nationalist fringe of the Buddhist clergy, which has until now been staunchly behind the military junta.

But a series of crushing defeats suffered by the army at the hands of ethnic insurgents in recent weeks has prompted Min Aung Hlaing's one-time cheerleaders to reconsider.

Myanmar's army is losing - and facing fire from a militant monk

A challenge from ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks is piling pressure on the loathed coup leader.

www.bbc.com

 

[sweep_shot]

May the Burmese army suffer a crushing defeat. What they did to Rohingya people was evil.

 

[Itachi]

Myanmar rebel group claims control of India border town

Ethnic insurgents in western Myanmar say they have captured an important town on one of the main routes to India from military forces.

The Arakan Army (AA) - one of three armed groups that launched a major new offensive against the military in October - says it has taken control of Paletwa, in Chin State.

"There is not a single military council camp left in the entire Paletwa area," the group said on its Telegram channel.

Myanmar's military has not commented.

Developments in Paletwa - which lies close to Myanmar's border with India and Bangladesh - will be closely watched by Delhi. The town is part of an ongoing multi-million-dollar development project backed by India that aims to improve connectivity in the remote region.

The AA is one of the newest but best-equipped of Myanmar's many ethnic armed groups, and has been battling the military - and gaining ground - in Rakhine State, and parts of neighbouring Chin State, for several years. Even before the military grabbed power in February 2021, AA fighters had made significant gains in Rakhine. Two years ago, it claimed to control 60% of the state.

But at the time of the 2021 coup, it was observing a ceasefire, and the army avoided confrontations with it so it could concentrate its efforts on crushing opposition to the coup.

However, last October, the AA announced it was joining the wider struggle against military rule as part of the Brotherhood Alliance, and launched a series of attacks against a military badly overstretched by opposition to its coup across much of the country.

And over the past 11 weeks, the alliance has inflicted a series of humiliating defeats on the military along the Chinese border.

Then last Saturday - on the other side of the country - the AA took control of the last military post in Paletwa township, the hilltop base at Meewa, which back in 2020 it had been unable to take after 42 days of fighting.

With the port of Paletwa on the Kaladan River under its control, the AA now controls road and water transport to the Indian border, and has a logistics base from which it can plan further attacks in Rakhine State.

The loss of any of the main towns in Rakhine to the insurgents would be a devastating blow to the authority of the military. It is reported to be using airstrikes and helicopter gunships to try to prevent the AA from advancing to the town of Kyauktaw, which sits astride the main road linking the Rakhine capital Sittwe with the rest of Myanmar.

It is not clear yet what the AA will do next. It may wish to consolidate the gains it has made and minimise further losses in its ranks. Its avowed goal is some form of independence or autonomy within a federal state, which its leadership now appears to have decided is best achieved under a new, elected government rather than under military rule.

The bigger question now after the fall of Paletwa is whether the junta can restore morale in its own ranks, and persuade its soldiers to keep fighting against opposition which now comes from so many quarters.

Source: BBC

Myanmar rebel group claims control of India border town

The Arakan Army says it has taken control of Paletwa, in Chin State, a key trading post with India.

www.bbc.com

Very badly written article with misleading headline. Another bad journalidm from BBC.

 

[sweep_shot]

Very badly written article with misleading headline. Another bad journalidm from BBC.

Why? What do you want them to write?

 

[Buzzinga]

Why? What do you want them to write?

The headline of the article leads the readers to believe that Arakan Army has the control of an Indian town whereas in reality they have (as claimed) control of Paletwa, the border town(To India and BD) inside Myanmar.

Thats why headline is misleading,not the article.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Myanmar soldiers burned off tattoos and gave detainees urine to drink, witnesses tell BBC

At least 50 people were killed by Myanmar soldiers in a raid on a village in Rakhine State last week, say local residents and opposition forces.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC the village was subjected to two-and-half days of terror as soldiers blindfolded and beat them up, poured burning petrol on their skin and forced some of them to drink their urine.

They were looking for supporters of the Arakan Army (AA), which has become one of the most effective ethnic fighting forces in Myanmar.

Fifty-one people aged between 15 and 70 were "violently tortured and killed", the National Unity Government (NUG), representing the ousted civilian government, said in a statement. The AA estimated the death toll to be more than 70 people.

The ruling military council, or junta, has denied the accusations, which would amount to one of the worst atrocities committed in the three year-old Myanmar civil war.

“They asked the men if the AA was in this village,” one woman told the BBC.

“Whatever answer they gave, whether they said AA was there or it wasn’t, or they didn’t know, the soldiers hit them."

In just six months, the AA has swept through most of Rakhine State, forcing the military to keep retreating. It ended a ceasefire with the army last year and joined ethnic insurgents in other parts of the country in a combined operation aimed at overthrowing the junta which seized power in February 2021.

"I saw with my own eyes my husband being taken away in a military vehicle. My son was separated from both of us, and I don't know where he is. Now I don't know if my son and husband are alive or dead," the woman told the BBC.

The names of witnesses are not being used to protect them. They told the BBC that everyone in the village, which has just over 1,000 households, were kept out in the open for two days, under the sun, with little to eat or drink, while dozens of men were tied, blindfolded and some taken away in trucks for further interrogation. Many are yet to return.

"They were so thirsty, standing all day in the sun, and begged for water. But the soldiers urinated in water bottles and gave them to the men," the woman told the BBC.

She said she heard "lots of gunshots", but didn't see who was shot "because we had to keep our heads down".

"I didn't dare to look. They called someone standing near me. Then I heard a gunshot. He never came back.''

She was crying throughout because she was worried about her husband and son: "I didn't know if they were dead or alive. I was praying for them, ‘Buddha, please save them’."

Survivors say they could hear soldiers asking for shovels to bury the bodies. They say some were clearly drunk.

More than 100 soldiers are believed to have raided the village Byai Phyu, which is just outside the state capital of Sittwe, on Wednesday.

Sittwe, a city with around 200,000 inhabitants, a large port and airport, is one of the Burmese army's few remaining strongholds. But the insurgents are close, and enjoy the sympathy of much of the ethnic Rakhine population.

Men who had tattoos showing support for the AA were singled out for especially harsh treatment, locals said. One eyewitness said the soldiers cut out the tattooed skin, poured petrol onto it and set it alight.

Another eyewitness recalled an army officer telling the villagers he had come from the fighting in northern Shan State, where the military suffered heavy losses late last year, to take his revenge on them.

Losing Rakhine State on the border with Bangladesh would be one of the greatest humiliations ever suffered by the armed forces, which have dominated Myanmar since independence in 1948.

On Friday those left standing in the marketplace, mostly women, children and the elderly, were ordered to gather a few things and leave. They said the soldiers had already looted anything valuable, like gold, jewellery or solar panels from their homes. The locals were initially taken to a stadium in Sittwe, but most have moved to seek shelter in Buddhist monasteries in the city.

The BBC understands that the army still controls Byai Phyu, and no-one is being allowed back. There are reports that much of the village has been burned down.

The NUG has promised to bring those responsible for war crimes in Byai Phyu to justice. The AA also accused what it calls "the fascist military council" of "vicious cruelty", and of gang-raping some of the women in Byai Phyu.

The junta has denied all allegations of torture, stating that they were only conducting "peace and security" measures in the village after spotting sandbag bunkers there. It accuses the Arakan Army of launching drone strikes from that area of Sittwe.

The isolation of Rakhine State and the intensity of the conflict make any independent investigation of what happened in Byai Phyu impossible for the foreseeable future.

But the accounts given by survivors are an ominous warning of what could happen elsewhere in Myanmar as the military continues to lose ground to an increasingly confident and capable armed opposition movement.

BBC

 

[FearlessRoar]

India concerned about border violence in Myanmar, urges early democratic transition​

India's foreign minister said he expressed concern about the impact of continuing violence in Myanmar near India's border in a meeting on Wednesday with Myanmar's foreign minister.

Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also called for an early return to the path of democratic transition in Myanmar.

India also expressed "deep concern at (the) impact of continuing violence and instability in Myanmar on our border," Jaishankar wrote on X.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/india-concerned-about-border-violence-myanmar-urges-early-democratic-transition-2024-06-26/?taid=667bfbc2cd5f30000165d0cb&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

 

[BouncerGuy]

Myanmar junta ‘bombing schools’, with 170 sites hit in past three years – report

Airstrikes, arson, shelling and ground fighting between the military and armed rebel groups have damaged at least 174 schools and universities in Myanmar since a military coup in 2021, according to a new report.

Open source investigator, the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), said analysis of imagery from conflict zones showed burned and collapsed buildings.

The group said it had documented 64 deaths and 106 injuries from the attacks, although it was difficult to verify the full extent of casualties because of a lack of access to the sites.

The country was plunged into conflict after Myanmar’s military seized power three years ago, ousting the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and sparking armed resistance and protest across the country. According to Action on Armed Violence, a charity that investigates violence against civilians, at least 50,000 people have been killed.

Matt Lawrence, director of CIR’s Myanmar Witness project, said that in more than half of attacks it assessed, education centres had been destroyed or significantly damaged, which would have a lasting impact on youngsters living in these areas.

He said the destruction of schools would harm a generation growing up during the conflict without access to education, which he said was important to produce reasonable, progressive leaders.

“What worries me is, as this conflict goes on – and it’s likely to go on for a long time – the conflict will be inherited by that generation and instead of being informed by the reason and hope they get through the education system, they’re instead going to be informed by the factionalism and war they’ve grown up with,” said Lawrence.

CIR, which published its findings on Saturday, used reports and imagery uploaded on social media or directly sent to it, as well as drone footage from the grassroots people’s defence forces, which have emerged since 2021 to fight the junta.

Lawrence said that wherever there was intense fighting, schools would be damaged. Some of the worst destruction is in Sagaing region, where fighting has been fierce.

He said while it was not always possible to identify who was responsible for the damage, only the Myanmar military had access to the aircraft used for airstrikes.

“The junta’s key weapon in this conflict is airstrikes. They’re bombing villages, bombing schools. But they also use fire and burn down villages and schools,” he said.

“Both sides will say the schools they attacked were being used for a military purpose at the time. That’s often the excuse given for attacking these areas that should be protected, but often that is the only infrastructure for a community to teach its children … the removal of that place removes the opportunity for them to be educated.”

The report was released before Sunday’s meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Commenting on the analysis, the UK Foreign Office said: “Schools are meant to be a place of safety and opportunity, not collateral in a conflict. Asean is critical to finding a path to peace in Myanmar. We again reiterate our call to all parties, particularly the Myanmar military, to refrain from airstrikes, safeguard civilians, and protect civilian infrastructure.”

THE GUARDIAN

 

[BouncerGuy]

Myanmar rebels claim control over major western military headquarters

A rebel army in Myanmar said it had captured a major military headquarters in the country’s west, marking the fall of the junta’s second regional command as it faces mounting setbacks against a nationwide armed resistance movement.

The Arakan Army (AA) said the western military command in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh, fell on Friday after two weeks of intense fighting, according to a statement posted on Telegram late on Friday.

The regional command at Ann would be the second regional military command to fall to ethnic rebels in five months, and a huge blow to the military.

A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

Myanmar’s military has 14 regional commands across the country with many of them currently fighting established ethnic rebel groups or newer “people’s defence forces” that have sprung up to battle the military’s 2021 coup.

Fighting has rocked Rakhine state since the AA attacked security forces in November last year, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the putsch.

AA fighters have seized swathes of territory in the state that is home to China and India-backed port projects and all but cut off the state capital, Sittwe.

The AA posted photos of a man whom it said was the Ann deputy regional commander, in the custody of its fighters.

The ethnic rebel group is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance – a collection of anti-junta groups – that launched an offensive in October 2023, notching several significant victories along Myanmar’s border with China.

In August, the alliance wrested control of the north-eastern town of Lashio, marking the first seizure of a regional military command in Myanmar’s history.

Myanmar’s borderlands are home to myriad ethnic armed groups who have battled the military since independence for autonomy and control of lucrative resources.

Last month the UN warned Rakhine state was heading towards famine, as ongoing clashes squeeze commerce and agricultural production.

“Rakhine’s economy has stopped functioning,” the report from the UN Development Programme said, projecting “famine conditions by mid-2025” if current levels of food insecurity were left unaddressed.

SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...trol-over-major-western-military-headquarters

 

[BouncerGuy]

Myanmar military fires at Chinese Red Cross quake relief convoy

Myanmar's military opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies on Tuesday night.

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, an armed rebel group, said that military troops shot at the convoy of nine vehicles with machine guns in eastern Shan State.

The convoy was en route to Mandalay, the hard-hit city near the epicentre of the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck last Friday. No injuries have been reported.

Myanmar's junta, which said it was investigating the incident, denied shooting directly at the vehicles. It said troops fired shots into the air after the convoy did not stop, despite it being signalled to do so.

China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that its rescue team and supplies were safe, adding that it hoped "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritize earthquake relief efforts".

Myanmar has been gripped by violence amid a civil war between the junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country.

The country's humanitarian crisis has worsened significantly after last week's massive earthquake, which has killed more than 2,700 people, by the government's estimate. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher.

Multiple international aid agencies and foreign governments have dispatched personnel and supplies to quake-hit regions.

A military spokesperson on Wednesday said troops saw the aid convoy coming from Naungcho township on Tuesday night, with vehicles sporting Chinese stickers and Myanmar number plates, but had not been given prior notice of the vehicles' movement.

"When we saw the convoy, we stopped it. But they continued. We opened fire from about 200m away, but they didn't stop," he said.

"At about 100m away, we fired three shots in the air, after which the vehicles turned back towards Naungcho."

China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, which has been providing rescue support in Mandalay, had been given a security cover when they travelled through this route, the spokesperson said.

He added that when international agencies want to give aid, they need to inform the Myanmar government.

The TNLA, which was escorting the Red Cross convoy, said they had informed the military council about going to Mandalay.

After retreating to Naungcho, they would be continuing their journey, the group said in a statement.

Rebel groups have unilaterally announced a ceasefire to support earthquake relief efforts. But the military has refused to do the same.

Hours after the quake struck on Friday, the junta launched an air strike in Naungcho township that killed seven people.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has said that since ethnic armed groups were still "training in preparation for attacks", the military would continue its "necessary defence operations".

The UN described the airstrikes as "completely outrageous and unacceptable".

BC
Myanmar military fires at Chinese Red Cross quake relief convoy

Myanmar's military opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies on Tuesday night.

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, an armed rebel group, said that military troops shot at the convoy of nine vehicles with machine guns in eastern Shan State.

The convoy was en route to Mandalay, the hard-hit city near the epicentre of the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck last Friday. No injuries have been reported.

Myanmar's junta, which said it was investigating the incident, denied shooting directly at the vehicles. It said troops fired shots into the air after the convoy did not stop, despite it being signalled to do so.

China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that its rescue team and supplies were safe, adding that it hoped "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritize earthquake relief efforts".

Myanmar has been gripped by violence amid a civil war between the junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country.

The country's humanitarian crisis has worsened significantly after last week's massive earthquake, which has killed more than 2,700 people, by the government's estimate. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher.

Multiple international aid agencies and foreign governments have dispatched personnel and supplies to quake-hit regions.

A military spokesperson on Wednesday said troops saw the aid convoy coming from Naungcho township on Tuesday night, with vehicles sporting Chinese stickers and Myanmar number plates, but had not been given prior notice of the vehicles' movement.

"When we saw the convoy, we stopped it. But they continued. We opened fire from about 200m away, but they didn't stop," he said.

"At about 100m away, we fired three shots in the air, after which the vehicles turned back towards Naungcho."

China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, which has been providing rescue support in Mandalay, had been given a security cover when they travelled through this route, the spokesperson said.

He added that when international agencies want to give aid, they need to inform the Myanmar government.

The TNLA, which was escorting the Red Cross convoy, said they had informed the military council about going to Mandalay.

After retreating to Naungcho, they would be continuing their journey, the group said in a statement.

Rebel groups have unilaterally announced a ceasefire to support earthquake relief efforts. But the military has refused to do the same.

Hours after the quake struck on Friday, the junta launched an air strike in Naungcho township that killed seven people.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has said that since ethnic armed groups were still "training in preparation for attacks", the military would continue its "necessary defence operations".

The UN described the airstrikes as "completely outrageous and unacceptable".

BBC

 

[Bhaijaan]

They want to be accepted into Sanatan and we must grant their wish.

 

[sweep_shot]

Myanmar military fires at Chinese Red Cross quake relief convoy

Myanmar's military opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies on Tuesday night.

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, an armed rebel group, said that military troops shot at the convoy of nine vehicles with machine guns in eastern Shan State.

The convoy was en route to Mandalay, the hard-hit city near the epicentre of the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck last Friday. No injuries have been reported.

Myanmar's junta, which said it was investigating the incident, denied shooting directly at the vehicles. It said troops fired shots into the air after the convoy did not stop, despite it being signalled to do so.

China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that its rescue team and supplies were safe, adding that it hoped "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritize earthquake relief efforts".

Myanmar has been gripped by violence amid a civil war between the junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country.

The country's humanitarian crisis has worsened significantly after last week's massive earthquake, which has killed more than 2,700 people, by the government's estimate. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher.

Multiple international aid agencies and foreign governments have dispatched personnel and supplies to quake-hit regions.

A military spokesperson on Wednesday said troops saw the aid convoy coming from Naungcho township on Tuesday night, with vehicles sporting Chinese stickers and Myanmar number plates, but had not been given prior notice of the vehicles' movement.

"When we saw the convoy, we stopped it. But they continued. We opened fire from about 200m away, but they didn't stop," he said.

"At about 100m away, we fired three shots in the air, after which the vehicles turned back towards Naungcho."

China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, which has been providing rescue support in Mandalay, had been given a security cover when they travelled through this route, the spokesperson said.

He added that when international agencies want to give aid, they need to inform the Myanmar government.

The TNLA, which was escorting the Red Cross convoy, said they had informed the military council about going to Mandalay.

After retreating to Naungcho, they would be continuing their journey, the group said in a statement.

Rebel groups have unilaterally announced a ceasefire to support earthquake relief efforts. But the military has refused to do the same.

Hours after the quake struck on Friday, the junta launched an air strike in Naungcho township that killed seven people.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has said that since ethnic armed groups were still "training in preparation for attacks", the military would continue its "necessary defence operations".

The UN described the airstrikes as "completely outrageous and unacceptable".

BC
Myanmar military fires at Chinese Red Cross quake relief convoy

Myanmar's military opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies on Tuesday night.

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, an armed rebel group, said that military troops shot at the convoy of nine vehicles with machine guns in eastern Shan State.

The convoy was en route to Mandalay, the hard-hit city near the epicentre of the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck last Friday. No injuries have been reported.

Myanmar's junta, which said it was investigating the incident, denied shooting directly at the vehicles. It said troops fired shots into the air after the convoy did not stop, despite it being signalled to do so.

China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that its rescue team and supplies were safe, adding that it hoped "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritize earthquake relief efforts".

Myanmar has been gripped by violence amid a civil war between the junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country.

The country's humanitarian crisis has worsened significantly after last week's massive earthquake, which has killed more than 2,700 people, by the government's estimate. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher.

Multiple international aid agencies and foreign governments have dispatched personnel and supplies to quake-hit regions.

A military spokesperson on Wednesday said troops saw the aid convoy coming from Naungcho township on Tuesday night, with vehicles sporting Chinese stickers and Myanmar number plates, but had not been given prior notice of the vehicles' movement.

"When we saw the convoy, we stopped it. But they continued. We opened fire from about 200m away, but they didn't stop," he said.

"At about 100m away, we fired three shots in the air, after which the vehicles turned back towards Naungcho."

China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, which has been providing rescue support in Mandalay, had been given a security cover when they travelled through this route, the spokesperson said.

He added that when international agencies want to give aid, they need to inform the Myanmar government.

The TNLA, which was escorting the Red Cross convoy, said they had informed the military council about going to Mandalay.

After retreating to Naungcho, they would be continuing their journey, the group said in a statement.

Rebel groups have unilaterally announced a ceasefire to support earthquake relief efforts. But the military has refused to do the same.

Hours after the quake struck on Friday, the junta launched an air strike in Naungcho township that killed seven people.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has said that since ethnic armed groups were still "training in preparation for attacks", the military would continue its "necessary defence operations".

The UN described the airstrikes as "completely outrageous and unacceptable".

BBC

Is Myanmar military dumb or what? Messing with China is not a wise idea.