Army will crush Kokang rebels, says military MP
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Military MP Tint San told parliament on February 16 that the army will crush Phone Kya Shin's Kokang rebels. He said the Laukkaing clashes have damaged the country's sovereignty.
When an urgent proposal to discuss the Laukkaing issue was submitted to the parliament, the MP spoke in support of the proposal.
Tint San, who holds the rank of Brigadier General, also said the Laukkaing clashes disturbed the country's stability, causing civilian casualties and damage to property.
"We soldiers shall crush any enemy who smashed up our three main national causes," he said.
He also reminded the parliament that the Kokang rebels killed 14 policemen sent to investigate drug and weapons productions in the Laukkaing region in 2009 before fleeing to China.
"We have received secret information that Phone Kya Shin has been recruiting new members since 2013 because he doesn’t want to give up his power in the region. The new members infiltrated the region along with old members who are the same ethnicity as him to work on plantations there. Phone Kya Shin's Kokang rebels aimed to depose the current regional government. The government army will never accept the clashes, which also pose a danger to the country's sovereignty," the brigadier general said.
He continued that the Kokang rebels attacked government troops and police on duty in the Lukkaing region, where they also destroyed civilian buildings, government offices and a public hospital.
