Burma rebels blamed for border skirmishes
Burma’s government has blamed ethnic Kachin rebels for starting a week of fighting along the country’s north eastern border with China.
The state-run New Light of Burma reported today that the army battled rebels only to protect a major Chinese-built hydroelectric power project that had come under threat.
The government’s comment was the first by the repressive nation’s rulers since fighting broke out with the Kachin Independence Army on June 1, displacing at least 10,000 people.
The rebels have blamed government forces for launching a major offensive after rebels rejected a call to leave the strategic region.
The 8,000-strong Kachin militia is one of several minority ethnic rebel armies in Burma fighting that are fighting for greater autonomy.
