Thousands of people fled heavy fighting on Myanmar’s northern border with China late on Tuesday, activists said yesterday, as the government blocked a senior UN official from visiting the area.
Clashes between the army and ethnic minority militias in Myanmar’s borderlands have intensified in recent months, undercutting Aung San Suu Kyi’s vow to bring peace to the country since her party took power in March.
Dozens have been killed and thousands displaced since fresh fighting erupted between the Myanmese military and the ethnic minority Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in November.
The unrest has rippled across Shan and Kachin states, threatening the next round of peace talks between the government, military and ethnic groups scheduled for next month.
Dashi Naw Lawn, secretary of the Kachin Network Development Foundation, said the army launched airstrikes near the border town of Laiza on Tuesday.
“There was a big fight [on Tuesday] and the Myanmar army used planes to attack the area around Laiza,” he said.