Myanmar : Fighting is still intense in Pha Song, Kayah State

On May 6, the Karenni Defense Forces shot down two military helicopters belonging to the military council that were bringing people and food from Bolakhei to Pha Song, and one of the helicopters crashed in Bolakhei Township.

"Rather than dying in battle, there are people who have died because of the military council's intentional capture and killing, and because of landmines."

As a result of this shooting, seven people, including the helicopter pilot of the Military Council, were killed, according to a member of the Public Defense Force of Bolakhei District.

"It is known that there were seven people in the helicopter crash. We were able to take a picture with a drone that the crash site was between Wanchel and Nang Noi village.”

Karenni Army KA Spokesperson Col. Bornaing told RFA that up to 10 people may have been killed in the helicopter crash.

Karenni National Defense Force KNDF news and information officer Saw Tha El Soe can only roughly confirm that the military council has between seven and ten dead. He said that the detailed situation is not yet known because the area has not been completely cleared.

Saw Tha E Soe told RFA that there are daily battles in Pha Song and the military situation in Loi Ko is still tense.

"The fighting is in Pha Song Township. In addition, on the day of the helicopter crash, there was a shooting from both sides in the vicinity of the helicopter crash in Bolakhei Township. On the Mobere side, it must be said that operations have been temporarily suspended. Loiko is in a situation where the military council and the war council monitor each other almost every day. The situation is tense and there are occasional exchanges of fire.”

Khlara-515 of the military council that came to support Pha Song on April 11th. Khlara-516 More than 50 members of the Military Council were killed when the revolutionary forces intercepted more than a hundred soldiers from Khlara (7) and Khlara-135 near Papu village. KNDF's statement on May 6 stated that 56 people, including the battalion commander and deputy battalion commander, had surrendered.

During April, Kayah State (Kareni Paya), It is said that there have been ten fierce battles with the Military Council in Pha Song, and that the two sides are shooting each other almost every day.

In the southern town of Mobre, Shan State, the Karenni defense forces launched an offensive to capture the Military Council's Khlara-422 military base, and the fighting was fierce for almost a month. The KNDF statement stated that in the city of Loikko, fighting broke out again when the military council returned to the areas occupied by the defense forces.

During those battles, the military council army killed for no reason, The KNDF statement also stated that 15 civilians, including children, were killed due to air and heavy weapon fire.

Kobanya, the founder of the Karenni Human Rights Group, said that the military council forces killed civilians on purpose.

"In these months, more than the wounded and killed by the battle, due to the deliberate capture and killing of the military council. Also, there are people who die from landmines."

RFA contacted Kayah State Spokesperson of the Military Council Deputy Director U Zana Ng Maung by phone this afternoon to get feedback on these statements, but he did not receive an answer. There is no news from the Military Council regarding the fighting situation in Kayah State.

According to the latest statement of the Progressive Karenni People's Force PKPF on May 1, 2024. It is reported that during the more than three years of the military coup until April 30, there have been more than a thousand battles in Southern Shan State and Kayah State.

During the battles, the Air Force of the Military Council, It is said that nearly five hundred civilians died due to heavy weapons shooting and arrests and killings. More than five hundred Karenni defense forces were killed. On the side of the military council, the PKPF statement also stated that there were more than three thousand dead.