SHAN STATE (MYANMAR): Clashes between Ta´ang National Liberation Army and security forces

Two reactionary Forces were killed by members of the Ta´ang National Liberation Army in the Shan State, which is controlled by Myanmar.

A unit of the TNLA were attacked by members of a militia and military forces of Myanmar in Namkham Township. In the exchange of fire two security personnel were killed. According to a spokesman of the TNLA the Ta’ang troops were carrying out anti-narcotics operations in the area, when they were attacked by the forces of the state of Myanmar.

In 1959, the Shan State joined the Union of Burma on condition that it could leave the Union after ten years. In 1962, the military made a coup to prevent the Shan State from seceding fromthe Union of Burma. The Shan State was occupied by Burmese troops, the Shan political leaders were arrested and murdered and the traditional structures and autonomous rights of the Shan were abolished. The coup triggered struggles for independence in Shan State, which continue to this day.

From 1996 onwards, more and more areas of the central Shan state were depopulated by mass expulsions and forced resettlements. The villages were burned down and the fields destroyed. These areas were declared Free Fire Zones, where the military shoot at anything that moves.