Kokang battle: Peng Jiasheng leads troops through China

[Bowen News, Beijing, Thursday April 16, 2015] Foreign media reported that in the past two months the Burmese army has regained more than 20 strategic locations from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). Over the past few days, the Burmese military began using artillery and tanks in battle. The fighting has killed more than 100 government soldiers and forced thousands of civilians to take refuge in China. It was reported that on Monday April 13, 2015 the Burmese army regained control of strategic high ground and seized weapons and ammunition from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.

Under Burmese government artillery shelling, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army withdrew some of its forces. At present the conflict in Dongshan District is at a stalemate. During these two days of intense fighting between the Burmese army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, artillery fire can be heard from the Chinese side of the Sino-Burmese border road.

Xinhua learned that Peng Jiasheng is leading his troops. On the early morning of Wednesday Apri 15, 2015 he took more than 1,000 troops through China to the northern part of Kokang. China’s People’s Armed Police did not interfere. Kokang’s north is hilly, Burmese tanks and artillery can’t be used there.

On the Burma problem, China faces a double-edged sword. Kokang and the other independent regions of Burma are mostly populated by Han people, and these areas play an important buffer role between China and Burma. But this year Burma initiated major political reform, and is slowly being accepted and assisted by the West. The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t want to completely push Burma into Western hands. From this perspective, China hopes that the Burmese army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army can enter into peace talks. But at present the Burmese army is not interested in peace talks.