Tala Lawi : Burmese government soldiers have closed the sea route from Kyarinnseikyi to Chaung Zone, in order to launch an offensive against the Karen National Union (KNU).
The colonel of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 283, Thein Zaw, banned travel along the sea route in Chaung Zone on November 29th, closing this route for an indefinite amount of time.
Having closed this sea route, boat owners and businessmen who use this route in their daily work are unable to conduct their business. The LIB No. 203 commander has given soldiers the permission to shoot boats that do not possess permission to travel from the authorities said a resident living near a Chaung Zone check point.
“Now all of the gates are closed, no boats are moving, boat owners can’t carry out their jobs because they are afraid the Burmese soldiers will shoot them. Also, villagers in that area are afraid that fighting will start again [as a continuance of the fighting that began on November 8th]” he added.
LIB No. 283 and LIB No. 405 are based around Chaung Zone near Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) (border crossing between Thailand and Burma).
This Chaung Zone resident reported that fighting popped up again on the 28th of November between the KNU and the Burmese government troops in Mai Ta Pow village around 3 miles from Chaung Zone. Six villagers were injured, and one was killed during the fighting. The resident added that he believes the fighting was caused due to the closed sea route.
There has been movement by villagers living in a five mile vicinity of Chaung Zone to TPP for fear that the fighting will start again, this resident explained.
“We moved from the village because of the fighting happening around our village. We can’t live in the village. We are worried that conflict will occur again,” said a Karen woman who has moved to TPP for the time being.
The Burmese military southeast commander ordered two rice traders to store around 1000 baskets of rice at TPP for the Burmese battalion that will stand duty there.
