Naypyidaw Rebels who have fought Myanmar's army along the border area with China for a period of four months declared a unilateral ceasefire yesterday, after leaving scores of people dead, threatened a nationwide peace pact and spilled over the frontier. The Fighting between gove
Naypyidaw
Rebels who have fought Myanmar's army along the border area with China for a period of four months declared a unilateral ceasefire yesterday, after leaving scores of people dead, threatened a nationwide peace pact and spilled over the frontier.
The Fighting between government troops and ethnic Chinese rebel fighters in the Kokang region of northern Shan state since early February, has compelled tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, many into China.
The bombings on Chinese territory by Myanmar’s air force, has infuriated Beijing which issued a stern rebuke and carried out live-fire military drills near the border as a warning which resulted in killing several civilians.
"We stopped fighting unilaterally since this morning... but we are still holding (weapons ) for self-defence. If they (Myanmar army) shoots, we have to defend ourselves," said Htun Myat Linn, a spokesman for the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the main insurgent group of the Chinese-speaking Kokang.
Myanmar's army and government were not immediately reachable for comment on whether they would join the ceasefire in Kokang, a mountainous area which remains cloaked in martial law.
"Fighting has gone on for four months... we worry that our fighting has affected the country’s general election," Htun Myat Linn added about the much-anticipated national polls slated for November.
Myanmar's government is desperate to secure a binding ceasefire with myriad ethnic groups, many of whom have been fighting for decades, ahead of elections later this year.
Kokang rebels were quickly joined by a number of other ethnic insurgent groups and the conflict has threatened to undermine that peace bid.
Kokang has strong bonds with China -- local people speak a Chinese dialect and China's yuan is the common currency -- and tens of thousands of people have crossed the border to flee the fighting.
The news of the Kokang ceasefire declaration came on the same day as Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
