A shell fired by the Burmese Army soldiers hit a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) training ground near Laiza at mid-day Wednesday killing 22 young men. Of those killed, two were from the Chin National Army (CNA).
The incident took place at Kachin Independence Army (KIA) training ground near Laiza on 19 November and 22 young men died on the spot after the Burmese Army mortar struck. The two CNA soldiers were Biak Tin Lian and Ram Nghak, said an official of the Chin National Front.
Kachin News Group (KNG) reported that Lah Nan who sits on the KIO’s central committee claimed that the shelling was a clear indication of the government’s intentions towards the KIO. “They only choose the military way of resolution rather than negotiations. They will do the same to other ethnic groups,” Lah Nan predicted.
While the army has shelled Laiza several times after the 17- year ceasefire with the KIO ended in June 2011, the army had not directly hit Laiza since early 2013 when fighting was very heavy near the KIO capital.