Army battles militia fighters in north-west Myanmar

YANGON • Myanmar's army battled local militia fighters in the north-western town of Mindat, residents said, in a bid to quell a rebellion which opposes the junta that seized power in February.

Yesterday's fighting in Mindat, in Chin state, underlines the growing chaos in Myanmar as the junta struggles to impose its authority in the face of daily protests, strikes and sabotage attacks after overthrowing elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1.

"We are running for our lives," one resident told Reuters from Mindat, a hill town just over 100km from the border with India.

"There are around 20,000 people trapped in town, most of them are kids, old people," the resident added. "My friend's three nieces were hit by shrapnel. They are not even teens."

The junta imposed martial law in Mindat on Thursday and then stepped up attacks on what it called "armed terrorists".

A state spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment on the fighting, but said yesterday 63 people had been killed in various terrorist attacks by its opponents.

"Terrorists are planting bombs in public areas and there are some injuries among the people," Mr Zaw Min Tun told a news conference, appealing to citizens to provide information on the attackers.

Chinland Defence Force fighters retreated as military reinforcements advanced with artillery bombardments and helicopter attacks, a member of a local administration set up by the junta's opponents told Reuters by phone.

There had been civilian casualties, he said, but could not confirm the number. Five civilians had been killed in Mindat in the past two days, said Doctor Sasa, minister of international cooperation in a shadow National Unity Government set up to rival the junta.

Myanmar already had some two dozen ethnic minority armed groups, which have waged war for decades against an army dominated by the Bamar majority. The Chinland Defence Force was set up in response to the coup.

Residents taking cover in the town said fighting raged yesterday. "There are soldiers everywhere," said one man.

The Irrawaddy News Service said some homes had been destroyed as the army resumed artillery bombardment yesterday.

"We are living in a nightmare. Mindat is literally a war zone," a 32-year-old resident ,who gave his name as Mang, told Reuters from the town late on Friday.

"They are using heavy artillery, mortar shells against us. We cannot fight that, we are exhausting most of our ammunition and we are risking everything...

"I think there is a chance we may be slaughtered. We try our best to defend ourselves but we may not last much longer."

Anti-junta protests were held in the main city Yangon and many other towns yesterday.

A poet who had criticised military rule had been soaked in petrol and burned to death in the central town of Monywa on Friday, residents said. Mr Sein Win was the third poet to be killed in the town, a stronghold of junta opposition.

The junta-controlled Myanmar News Agency said fighting on Wednesday and Thursday in Mindat involved 100 people who attacked a police station and about 50 targeting the state-run Myanmar Economic Bank.

A local lawmaker said the fighting erupted after the military refused to release seven local youth detained by the authorities.

At least 788 people have been killed by the junta's security forces in crackdowns on protests, according to an advocacy group.

Separately, a state spokesman yesterday said Myanmar's Foreign Affairs Ministry will hold talks with Asean officials this week. Mr Zaw said discussions will be held with Brunei government officials - Mr Erywan Yusof and Mr Lim Jock Hoi, respectively Asean's chair and secretary-general. Both are visiting Myanmar this week.

REUTERS, XINHUA