1-7-2023 (YANGON) The Myanmar junta has alleged that an armed ethnic group was responsible for an attack on a vehicle convoy carrying Chinese military personnel who were en route to a meeting on border security. However, the rebels have denied these claims, escalating tensions in the region.
Myanmar has been engulfed in turmoil since the military overthrew the democratically-elected civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in a coup in 2021. The conflict between the junta and its opponents has devastated large parts of the country.
On Tuesday, a convoy comprising Chinese military representatives and their Myanmar counterparts was attacked while traveling to Myitkyina in northern Kachin state. The junta reported that the second vehicle in the convoy was shot five times, prompting Myanmar security forces to retaliate.
“We can confirm that members of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked the convoy,” stated Zaw Min Tun, the junta’s spokesperson, in an audio message. The junta asserted that no casualties occurred during the incident.
However, the KIA has refuted these allegations. Colonel Naw Bu of the KIA told AFP that the group did not launch an attack on any convoy. He added that heavy fighting had been taking place in the area since Monday, near where the convoy was targeted.
Efforts have been made to obtain a comment from the Chinese foreign ministry regarding the incident, but no response has been received at this time.
Last October, dozens of individuals lost their lives when the Myanmar military conducted airstrikes on a KIA concert. The military’s crackdown on dissent since the coup has resulted in the deaths of over 3,700 people, according to a local monitoring group.
The accusations and denials surrounding the attack on the Chinese military convoy have further complicated the already volatile situation in Myanmar, adding to the ongoing violence and instability in the country.
