Skirmish at Thai Border between KNU and Burmese troops

Source: Network Media Group (http://www.nmg-news.com/nmg/defaultmm.html)

KNU (Karen National Union) announced on Saturday that it will fight the junta in Karen State at the same time as the public demonstrations go on in other parts of Burma.

On the 29th of September, at about 4pm, between the burmese villages of ThayBawBohYwa and WahLayYwa, near the town of Mae Sod, KNU Battalion 103 had a run-in with the Light Infantry Division 206, under Batallion 22. The battle lasted for about half an hour. The burmese troops lost 1 Major, 1 Captain, 1 Sergent, and 1 soldier. About 11 men were injured as well. According to a KNU Major, there were no losses on from KNU.

Mr Padoman Chalaphan, a KNU spokesman, said:

"The Junta is the common enemy of all peoples of Burma. They have killed many ethnic groups, monks, students, and people in cruellest ways. They have killed too many. It is time for us to fight back in as many ways as we can. Just as people stage protests in the cities, in the rural areas, we have to use weapons to fight. This is how we need to combine forces to combat them."

This is the first battle between KNU and Burmese troops since the demonstrations started in September.

Colonel Khun Thurein, who has just recently returned to the Burmese-Thai border, said that all organisations who want the regime to topple should join forces. He added that SNPLO (Shan Nationalities Peoples' Liberation Organisation ) has also been preparing for battle.

"We absolutely cannot accept the fact that Junta is using force to crush the peaceful demonstrators. Therefore, in order to give moral support to the monks, the people, and students in our locality, we'll do what we can and we have plans to use military tactics."

"We have to treat this as the final fight against Junta. Everyone of us, monks, people, students of all ethnic groups should participate. We have to use everything we have. We have to strategise carefully; peaceful demonstrations in the cities and actual battles where we (KNU) are. We believe strongly that we need to exterminate the junta," Mr Padoman Chalaphan reckons.

The troops involved in the skirmish with KNU are under Light Infantry Battallion 22. Other divisions of this battallion are rumoured to be being used in crushing the demonstations in the cities.