Junta troops killed in clash by Shan rebels

Ethnic armed groups are angry and bent on fighting injustice of the junta. Its a victory for the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) over the Infantry Battalion 525 and 99 in this story by Saw Yan Naing in The Irrawaddy. As expected to happen, the Shan villagers were at the receiving end of the SPDC soldiers' torturing fit to exact their revenge. Such a lofty sacrifice by a people on the road to freedom for Burma. May the ethnic peoples of Burma and the Burmese fighters for democracy continue to have the strength and power to make Burma free. The story unfolds here in The Irrawaddy.

"About 20 Burmese junta soldiers were killed and eight were injured in an ambush in Nam Zam Township in Shan State by Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) soldiers on Saturday, according to a rebel spokesperson.

Sai Lao Hseng told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that based on a military field report the fighting lasted about 3 hours. Three clashes have occurred in Shan State between Burmese troops and the SSA-S this month, he said.

Soldiers of Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) take part in the military drill in their base near the Burma-Thai border in February. (Photo: Reuters)

He said that after the firefight some local villagers who lived near the battle scene were tortured by regime troops. The army told the villagers that they had failed to report information about the Shan rebels and accused them of providing food to the rebels, according to Sai Lao Hseng.

He said that no Shan soldiers were killed or injured during the fighting. The rebels seized some weapons and ammunition after the fighting, he said.

The government troops were from Infantry Battalion 525 and 99 led by Capt Tin Aung Moe, he said.

Recently, Burmese government troops have regularly patrolled and launched offensives against ethnic rebels in eastern Burma.

Many observers say the Burmese regime may soon launch offensives against ethnic cease-fire groups that have refused to transform their troops into a border guard force under the command of the junta.

According to government military sources, more than 70,000 additional regime troops have been sent to northeastern Shan State where strong ethnic cease-fire groups such as United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are based."