Rebels breach Myanmar ceasefire in army attack — Military

YANGON: Myanmar’s army accused rebels yesterday of attacking and killing “some” of its soldiers, the first skirmish acknowledged by the military in the wake of it unprecedented ceasefire with ethnic armed groups.

The military announced last week it would suspend “all military movements” in the troubled northern and eastern regions for four months, a move observers say is unprecedented.

Halting a simmering decadeslong civil war could be a way to coax ethnic armed groups into a fractious peace process, which has been marred by continuous fighting in restive border areas.

But the Tatmadaw, the military’s Myanmar name, said their soldiers stationed in Shan state were attacked on Thursday by troops from the Shan State Army (SSA) — also known as the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS).

“Some Tatmadaw men were killed and some injured in the attack were sent to the military hospital... for treatment,” said a statement Friday from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief.

“The Tatmadaw will strongly stand by its...ceasefire declaration and respond in line with the law to the attacks of the SSA.”

The army also hit out at local news outlets for publishing reports of skirmishes between the Tatmadaw and other armed groups, threatening “action in accordance with the law”, said a statement posted Thursday by the military’s information team.

No representative from the RCSS could be reached for comment. — AFP