CNI News
5 February 2024
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the People's Defense Force (PDF) are expanding territory by forcing civilians to steal wood from the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA)'s territory, an official from the SNA told CNI News.
The KIA/PDFs and businessmen cooperated and asked local civilians in Banmauk Township to steal wood from Banmauk region within the SNA territory, said some of the locals.
Because the jobs are scarce due to the current political situation, they accepted the job of chopping wood and but they did not know that they would have to chop wood in the SNA territory, said one of the people who were arrested by the SNA when they came to steal wood.
" When Ko Tu, a friend of ours, phoned and asked us if we would accept that job. We accepted that job because we had no jobs and our families' livelihoods are not okay. And then, we went to Banmaw to take money." he said.
While seeing the KIA/PDF joint force
Those who were forced to smuggle wood out by the KIA/PDF and businessmen were arrested in Banmauk Township that is controlled by the SNA's Brigate-614. Those arrested contained 16 men, 5 women and 4 children including a baby reportedly.
The place where wood was smuggled out was not easily accessible to people and the paths were not good.
So, When the workers told the businessmen that they wanted to go home, the businessmen replied that they had given the workers' national registration cards and CVs to the KIA/PDFs as well as that the workers had been forbidden to pass through, said a person who was arrested.
" They told us that the road to the workplace was good and the workplace was not so distant as well. And we were told we had to work as soon as we got there. But when we saw for ourselves, the road was not good. So, when we told the businessmen that we wanted to go home, we were not allowed to go home. When we told them if we could go home after paying the debt, they replied we could. So, we went to the workplace. But we were arrested after sleeping one night there." he said.
About 200 KIA/PDF joint forces attacked a frontier camp of the SNA in Banmauk Township in August 2023 and at present, the joint forces often launch offensives.
while seeing the SNA force
" We accepted their offer and went there because we had no jobs. They told us that everything was just fine and we would have to work as soon as we got there. But we had to wait there nearly one month. We couldn't wait any longer. So, when we told them that we wanted to go home, they didn't accept. When we went and see the road and workplace on motorbikes, the workplace also is very distant. It would not be convenient if we worked with our families. When we told them that we wanted to go home, they replied that the gates had been closed. They did not allow us to go home. When we told them, we would give the money back, we would go home. We were not allowed. They had given the numbers of our NRCs to every PDF gate." said a person who was arrested.
The SNA had told those arrested not to steal wood within the controlled area of the SNA, and all those arrested would be released, and they had been looked after for the time being , said an official from the SNA.
The SNA is an EAO that is trying to build Shanni State that will contain Mawlike, Kalay, Khamti, Homalin, Katha and Tamu Districts in Sagaing Region as well as Banmaw, Myitkyina, Mohnyin districts in Kachin State.
