Wednesday 9 January 2013

Myanmar continues assault on Kachin rebels

Military attacks near ethnic group's stronghold threaten to deliver a setback to its independence movement.

Ethnic Kachin rebels in northern Myanmar say the government is keeping up air and ground attacks against them despite international calls for restraint.
An exclusive video obtained by Al Jazeera on Tuesday reportedly shows government air raids on an area controlled by Kachin fighters.
Pointing to the latest skirmish near the northern city of Laiza, Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay says that "there is no sign that this fighting is slowing down anytime soon.
"There is some feeling that perhaps the Myanmar military is launching an attempt to take that town, which of course would be a severe blow to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)".
Laiza, which is near the border with China, and a government base are close to each other, and access to both is by the same road.