Drugs found at abandoned Burma army post in Kachin state

A large quantity of amphetamines left behind at a recently abandoned Burma army post is further proof that drug abuse is rampant in the ranks of Burma’s armed forces, say officials with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

The amphetamines along with a collection of homemade pipes were found by KIA forces when they captured the post on April 26 following heavy fighting at Laja Yang, just outside Laiza.

Fashioned from plastic water bottles, the pipes were scattered around the entire post, said a KIA officer who visited the site. Pipes were also found in a large covered area which appeared to serve as a meeting hall for the Burma army troops.

Defectors from the Burma army frequently report that the use of amphetamines also known as Yaba is rife among the rank and file.

KIA (Kachin) blasts three bridges

KIA group blasted Dunban Bridge on the Myitkyina-Chepwe Road  around mid-night on 1 May, Lanna concrete bridge on the Waingmaw- on

Hsadon-Kanpaikti Road , bailey bridge near Warazut  village Myitkyina- Tanaing Road

source NLM 4.May 2012

Thai Army Increases Troops by DKBA Border

The Thai Army has deployed more troops at border towns around Mae Sot, in northern Thailand’s Tak Province, due to escalating tensions with the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) after a faction leader was accused of being a drug trafficker.

Thai Army chief Gen Prayut Chan O Cha told Thai Rath news on May 3 that his soldiers are taking extra care by the frontier and the number of troops in the area has been increased. “We are already there, but the situation is not yet risky,” he said.

The move comes after the Thai Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) placed Saw Lah Pwe, the leader of the Brigade 5 breakaway faction of the DKBA, in the top five of its list of Thailand’s 25 most wanted drug dealers.

The Thai authorities have already issued a public alert for people who stay near the border in Mae Sot to be on their guard. Locals say that they want the Thai government to solve the problem quickly in order to maintain stable border trade.

“We are not going to provoke or attack them first. This case belongs to law enforcement but if they are convinced they are right and attack us then it is not our fault,” Prayut told Thai Rath news. “At the moment we are not sure how to solve the problem but we have a duty to protect the citizens of Thailand.”

Burma Army making war on Kachin to protect “foreign” interests

The war on the Kachin Independence Organization / Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA) by the Burmese army is fundamentally a fratricide for the sake of protecting foreign business interests, according to a KIO high official who asked not to be named.

“The (hydropower) project was launched in the area under our control and when it was completed Gen Thein Sein, who was prime minister at that time, presided over at the opening ceremony,” he said. “The trouble began only when the Burma Army’s Mongmit operations command attacked us (on 9 June 2011).”

 

(Map: KNG)

 

Since then, “guest units” (those outside Kachin State) have been brought in to dislodge the KIA from the area. “The first requirement for a return to status quo therefore is to withdraw these guest units back to their home bases,” he said.

The Northern Region Command that oversees security in Kachin State has 46 infantry and light infantry battalions, according to the list compiled by Network for Democracy and Development (NDD). But there are now more than 130 battalions, according to reports from the border.