Karenni rebels in Burma’s eastern state of Kayah are battling for their survival as government forces advance on the last border stongholds of their decades-old insurgency.

“People are focusing on Khun Sa, but the Burmese are killing us,” said one high-ranking official from the Karenni National Progressive Party, referring to the surrender last week of the infamous druglord in Shan state.

“They are using Chinese-made weapons and big cannons,” he said.

Havy fighting between the Karennis and the government erupted on Chirstmas eve after serveral months of sporadic clashes. KNNP officials said the upsurge in hostlities coincided with the arrival of reinforcements to join some 3,600 government troops who had been deployed in Kayah since June, when a three-month-old truce collapsed.

The KNPP has less than 1,000 men under arms, but Karenni officials said they were putting up strong resistance. “Slorc thought they could put them down by July but didn’t,” said an observer on the Thai-Burma border.

However, government forces have captured many of the KNPP’s outposts in the last two weeks prompting a Thai observer at the border to predict, “The KNPP will be wiped out very soon.” He said the Karennis were now holding only two major posts.

Since Khun Sa opened the gates of his Homong headquarters to Burmese soldiers over the New Year and surrendered strategic positions on Doi Lang mountain, the KNPP forces have been particularly vulnerable because they are now flanked by Burmese troops on there sides. “It won’t take a day to walk from the Khun Sa –controlled area,” said a KNPP spokesman. He predicted that Slorc will use Khun Sa’s territory to attack the Karennis.

AFP reported that the situation in Kayah was quiet Wednesday, following heavy fighting in which the rebels recaptured a key base near Thailand identified as Ran Bo Hill.

Karenni officials said that some 1,600 Burmese government soldiers were occupying low-lying areas near Mae Son and facing off with between 400-500 Karenni troops holding the highter ground.

As Burmese troops advanced on the remaining Karenni outposts, which are close to the Thai border province of Mae Hong Song. Thailand stepped up border security. Approximately 3,000 Karenni refugees have already fled to the border and  Thai officials are concerned more refugees could follow as a result of the fighting.

The KNPP spokesman said Karennis are ready to resume talks with Rangoon if they are based on equality and mutual understanding.

“We are trying to survive because we cannot surrender,” he told AFP, adding that the Burmese junta intended to move the Karenni out of Kayah state and into areas of Burma where government control was consolidated.

“They [Slorc leaders] claim peace has been restored in the country but it is not true. Come and see and you will hear gunfire all the time,” another senior Karenni official said.

KNPP leaders say that the breakdown in peace followed pressure from Slorc for the Karennis to abandon their armed struggle and unconditionally surrender. In reply, the Karennis sent a statement on June 20 asking the Slorc leaders to respect its previous agreement and show sincerity. Slorc, according to Karenni officials, was enraged. Outside observers at the time, however, blamed the fighting on differences over the rich teak forests in the KNPP’s zone of control.

Karenni sources revealed that the recent fighting followed the failure of a Karenni peace mission in November.

In Rangoon, the KNPP delegation, which was led by Khun Mu Ral, met with deputy chief of military intelligence Col Kyaw Win. It was the KNPP’s second peace mission to Rangoon after the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.

The delegation asked military officials to withdraw from Karenni-controlled areas, to halt their military actions, stop using forced labour, and end their attempts to expand their military presence in Kayah State.
But Slorc’s only reply was a demand for the KNPP to surrender and come back to legal fold. Col Kyaw Win also told them previous agreement meant only surrendering not really ceasefire. “If we [Slorc] say ‘surrender’ it is bad in public opinions so we say ceasefire,” a Karenni official quoted Col Kyaw Win as saying.

Khu Mu Ral refused.

Around the same time, Slorc sent out more troops to areas controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), the last armed ethnic group still resisting Rangoon’s control. In December, the KNU sent a delegation to Rangoon led by Padoh Saw Klee Say. At first, the delegation met Col Kyaw Win in Moulmein, Mon state, attend Karen New Year festivities.

 The delegation also held talks with Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, secretary one of Slorc. According to an inside source, Khin Nyunt  reportedly told the Karens not to support democracy groups which are based along the border. A Karen officer said nothing substantive came of the talks.

 

KNU officials predicted Slorc was preparing to attack soon. Gen Maung Aye, vice-chairman of Slorc is reportedly keen to crush the remaining KNU. “ Maung Aye prefers to fight while the others still want to talk”, said the source.”