Myanmar rebels `attacked heavily`, dropping hundreds of bombs 0
(Dan Tri) – The Myanmar government said it was facing `heavy attacks` by rebels, and asked government staff to be ready to respond to emergencies, an official said.
Rebel forces in Shan state, Myanmar (Photo: Kokang).
The army is facing `heavy attacks by a significant number of armed rebel soldiers` in Shan state in the northeast, Kayah state in the east and Rakhine state in the west, Reuters on June 16.
Mr. Zaw Min Tun said a number of military positions were evacuated and rebels used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to drop hundreds of bombs on military posts.
`We are urgently taking effective measures to defend against drone attacks,` Mr. Zaw Min Tun said late on November 15.
In the capital Naypyitaw, government employees have been ordered to set up units to respond to `emergency` situations, said Tin Maung Swe, secretary of the Naypyitaw Council.
However, he affirmed that this order was not to respond to the security situation and that the situation in the capital was still peaceful.
`This is a support plan in case of emergencies, especially natural disasters,` Mr. Tin Maung Swe told Reuters.
A spokesman said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply concerned by the `expanding conflict in Myanmar` and called on all sides to protect civilians.
`The number of people displaced from their homes in Myanmar has now exceeded 2 million,` the spokesman said.
The Myanmar army is in conflict with rebel forces in Shan, Kayah, Rakhine and Chin states (Graphic: Quoc Dat).
The Arakan Army (AA) rebel force operating in Rakhine state said on November 15 that dozens of police and soldiers had surrendered or been captured alive after clashing with AA gunmen.
A spokesperson for the Myanmar government accused AA forces – one of three rebel groups that coordinated to launch attacks on the army since October 27 – of `destroying` Rakhine state.
In Kayah state, conflicts were recently reported around Loikaw University after two rebel groups, the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), attacked the place since September 1.
They confirmed that they had captured a base at Loikaw University after 2 days of clashes, and evacuated at least 170 employees and relatives to a safe place.
Meanwhile, Global New Light of Myanmar quoted Myanmar authorities as confirming they had evacuated school staff and students to a safe place from the attack using both hand guns and heavy weapons.
A clip posted on social media by rebel forces in Kayah and verified by Reuters shows government soldiers surrendering to rebels after being wounded.
`If you raise the white flag and walk out, nothing will happen,` a gunman who identified himself as deputy commander-in-chief of the rebel Karenni National Defense Force, which includes the PDF and KNPP, told the soldiers.
