Burmese Government Continues Military Offensive in Christian Kachin State

ICC Note: Although the conflict between the ethnic Christian Kachin people of Burma and the Buddhist Burmese military has many dimensions, Christians have certainly been targeted as a result of their religious beliefs. In the past, Burmese troops have singled out Christians for discriminatory treatment. Although the Burmese government is now promising many more reforms, attacks on the people of Kachin continue. ?

12/28/2012 Burma (CIC) - Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today (Friday, December 28, 2012), urged Burma's military to end its offensive against the majority Christian Kachin people in northern Burma immediately, and called on the international community to put pressure on the government of Burma to engage in a meaningful political dialogue with the Kachin and other ethnic nationalities.

According to news reports, four jet fighters and two helicopter gunships were used this morning to attack Kachin Independence Army (KIA) troops close to their headquarters at Laiza, on the China-Burma border. The aerial attack follows several days of shelling and a significant increase in troop movement and fighting.

CSW says that the Burma Army has been conducting a military offensive against the Kachin since June 2011, breaking a ceasefire that had lasted for 17 years. Over 100,000 civilians have been internally displaced since the war began, and the Burma Army has been accused of grave human rights violations, including rape, torture, destruction of villages, looting and desecration of churches, and killing civilians. The offensive has intensified severely in recent days.

Andrew Johnston, CSW's Advocacy Director, said: "The dramatic escalation in the Burma Army's assault on the Kachin is deeply disturbing. To launch aerial attacks and deploy fighter jets and helicopter gunships marks the most serious intensification in this conflict since the war began.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, December 29th, 2012 at 3:58 pm and is filed under Asia, Burma, Countries, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.persecution.org/2012/12/29/burmese-government-continues-military-offensive-in-christian-kachin-state/

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