International concerns on fighting

The international community has voiced concerns on fighting in Myanmar, with China speaking the loudest following the spillovers into Chinese territory.

                On Tuesday, China repeated demands for Myanmar to take steps to prevent fighting with rebels from spilling over the border after more shells fell onChinese territory during counter-insurgency operations.

China was infuriated last month after five people were killed by stray bombs falling into the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan during fighting between Myanmar's government forces and rebels. Tens of thousands of people, many of them ethnic Chinese, have fled to China to escape the fighting in Myanmar's northeastern Kokang region.

"Recently, some shells from Myanmar have fallen into China causing damage to property, but fortunately no injuries or deaths," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing, without giving the exact date.

"China has already lodged stern representations with Myanmar and demanded they earnestly take effective steps to prevent this from happening again," he added. "Myanmar said they will try severely restrain the relevant personnel to prevent it from happening again."

Hong said that President Xi Jinping met Shwe Mann, chairman of Myanmar's ruling party Union Solidarity and Development Party, in Beijing on Monday, and repeated a call for peace along the border.

"China hopes that the relevant parties can calm the situation as soon as possible to return the border to normal order," Hong added.

The main rebel group in Kokang is called the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The group struck a truce with the government which lasted until 2009, when government troops took over their region in a conflict that pushed tens of thousands of refugees into China's Yunnan province.

                On Monday, the United States voiced alarm over rare clashes between the Myanmar military and insurgents in Rakhine state believed to have caused hundreds of civilians to flee their homes.

Unrest between the military and Arakan Army (AA) - a group that hails from Rakhine but has previously focused on fighting in Myanmar's conflict-riddled north - has flared in recent days, raising fears that it could complicate the country's delicate nationwide peace process.

The US embassy in Yangon said it was "concerned by reports that hundreds of Rakhine civilians have been displaced by recent fighting" in Rakhine's  Kyauktaw township.

"We urge all parties to cease hostilities, and ensure the protection of civilians and timely delivery of all necessary humanitarian assistance to the affected population in accordance with international standards," the embassy said in a statement.

State media reports of clashes since April 17 in Rakhine between the army and AA insurgents are believed to be the first time the rebels have fought troops in their home region.

The state remains deeply troubled after unrelated deadly religious violence in 2012 between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims, mainly from the Rohingya minority.

Heavy fighting between the government and Kachin rebels has displaced tens of thousands since a ceasefire collapsed in 2011.

In an attempt to end the fighting, on April 27, the government reached an agreement with the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO)’s  conflict resolution team to conduct an investigation into the conflicts in Hpakant and Tanaing regions, according to sources.

This agreement came shortly after the meeting between the Kachin State Government - led by the state Minister for Border Affairs and Security Col Than Aung - and the KIO team led by Col Zaw Taung.

Col Zaw Taung from the KIO conflict resolution team said: “We discussed the fights with battalions No 6 and No 14 of KIA in Hpakant. The reason behind these fights is that both battalions are very close in some places and both armies confront each other by accident… Both sides have agreed to make a field trip to the conflict-affected regions as there are some disparities.”

A senior military officer from the Northern Command added that the both sides aimed to control the fighting. They also discussed the arrest of innocent people, mine attacks, extortion, and the recruitment of soldiers and as well as the death of farmers killed by the mine blasts in Hsarhmaw region.