Burmese army accused of ignoring president's ceasefire order
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Burma's army has continued an offensive against the Kachin insurgency despite being ordered to stop fighting last month by the president, a rights group said Tuesday.
"In December, President Thein Sein ordered the army to halt military operations," said Refugees International, a humanitarian organisation. "But at the time of writing, fighting continues - indicating that the military remains unwilling to submit to civilian authority."
The group warned that a humanitarian crisis loomed in Kachin State in the north of the country due to the fighting that has displaced 30,000 civilians.
Thein Sein called for a halt to the military offensive on December 13, but that failed to stop the fighting, Refugees International said.
It said the refugees would face food and medical shortages next month unless donors respond quickly to a United Nations appeal for 6.4 million dollars in relief aid.
The offensive against the Kachin Indepedence Organization rebels contrasted with reforms that Thein Sein has been making since taking office on March 30.
The president has opened a dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, released more than 300 political prisoners and signed ceasefire agreements with two ethnic minority insurgencies - the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the China National Front.//DPA
