Burma Army also celebrates Shan national day

Burma Army also celebrates Shan national day, say Shan officer 

A Shan commander, calling from his base along the Chiangrai-Shan State border yesterday, commented the mortar shelling and machine gun spraying by the Burma Army could be its bizarre style of marking the Shan national day (7 February).

"They must have fired about 7 mortar shells and 55 machine gun cartridges at our forward base (in Loi Kawwan, near Pangnoon, Mae Fa Luang District)," said the officer from the Kengtung Front Force, Shan State Army. "It struck me that today's the 7th of February and that it's the 55th anniversary of the National Day."

The Shan National Day, also known as the Shan State's Day, marked the defiance of Shan princes and their people against the ruling British demand to abolish their independent Shan States Council during the historic Panglong Conference, 3-12 February 1947.

Yesterday at 12:30, a unit from LIB 359 (Tachilek) stationed at Loi Khomkhiao shelled and sprayed the Shan positions with mortars and machine guns. However no troop assault was made and the Shans "declined to return the favor."

The Burmese army also shelled the royal project site of Doi Angkhang in Fang district, Chiangmai province, in May last year. Sources in the area told S.H.A.N. later it was LIB 333 commander, Lt-Col Myint Aung's idea of celebrating the Shan resistance day (21 May) as the Angkhang range was the first Shan stronghold in 1958, when Saw Yanda and a handful of Shans raised the resistance banner.

Update

Lt-Col Kawnzuen, commander of the Kengtung Front, said a special unit commanded by Captain Liengzuen staged a surprise attack at Mae Jok, between Hua Maekham and Nayao (also known as Yawngkha) at 06:45 today. The assault lasted 20 minutes and the Burmese unit from IB 244, commanded by Maj Tin Lin, and the local militia commanded by Ja-ngoi were routed. Among the loot were 1 Russian-made Anti-aircraft machine gun, 1 radio set and thousands of methamphetamine pills.

Thai TV Channel 7 later reported the Shans captured 5 dead Burmese soldiers and 50,000 pills of Yaba.
Mae Jok is known by the locals as Hongkong II.