The Burmese army carried out on Wednesday April 28, for the second consecutive day, air raids in the south-east of the country against one of the main rebel factions, very virulent against the junta since the coup.
Tensions between the military and certain Burmese ethnic groups have intensified since the February 1 coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi.
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"
Two Burmese army planes carried out airstrikes
" Wednesday in an area controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), said Sithichai Jindaluang, governor of the Thai border province of Mae Hong Son, without specifying whether he there had been victims. "
Heavy gunfire
" was also heard, added the governor. Several dozen Burmese fled the violence and crossed the border to seek refuge on the Thai side.
On Tuesday April 27, the KNU, which condemns the bloody crackdown by the junta against opponents of the coup, destroyed a Burmese army base located in this region. Some 24,000 civilians have been displaced as a result of the fighting, according to local NGOs. Clashes also broke out on Wednesday between the Burmese military and another ethnic faction, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), KIA spokesperson Naw Bu said. He mentioned victims on the side of the army and the rebels, without being able to specify the number.
Burma is sinking deeper into violence every day since the passage in force of the putschist generals almost three months ago. More than 750 civilians fell to police and army bullets, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP). The junta, which considers this NGO as an illegal organization, reports a much lighter record, qualifying its opponents as "
rioters
" engaging in "
acts of terrorism
".
