Roundup: Myanmar government to take over one more strategic hill in Kokang region as clashes continue

The Myanmar government has said that its forces could occupy one more strategic hill in Kokang region in a fresh offensive against the Kokang ethnic army with heavy weapons, bringing the total number of strategic hills taken over by the government forces to seven.

Forces of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) had to retreat from Point-1789 Hill where they based amid the fierce attacks by the government forces as reported.

After regaining these hills, the Laukkai-Kongyan communication route for secure transport could be reopened, the government said on Monday.

At the smae time, the government also claimed that stability could be restored in Laukkai, the capital of Kokang, as its forces combed the area.

Some armed clashes between Myanmar' s government forces and the Kokang ethnic army continued in Kokang region, northeastern Shan state of Myanmar, over the weekend, the military-run Myawaddy Daily reported Monday.

A total of 1,314 local people, who had taken shelter in Lashio, a big city in Shan state in the northeast, have resettled in Laukkai since last week.

On March 1, the Myanmar government formed a rehabilitation support committee for Kokang region, torn by weeks-long fighting, naming U Hla Tun, minister at the President's Office, as head of the committee to undertake rehabilitation tasks in the region with the president's special fund.

The rehabilitation tasks will cover Laukkai to where displaced people had been returning successively from areas where they took refuge since early last week as security had been improved there following numerous armed clashes.

Cleaning-up work is being done by local military personnel together with local people, social organizations and departmental staff in a bid to improve the appearance of the town.

Heavy fighting first broke out on Feb. 9 between the government forces and the MNDAA in Kokang region. The battlefield mainly covered areas of Laukkai, Koneyan and Yan Lone Kyaine of Kokang region. In its military operation against the MNDAA, the government used air strike for several times.

Although curfew was first imposed in the region but as the clashes escalated, the government declared a 90-day state of emergency and imposed martial law starting Feb. 17.

The military administrative order empowered Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing to assume administrative and judiciary power in the self-administered zone.

Amid the declaration of a state of emergency and imposition of martial law in Kokang region, the government forces continued to comb the area in a bid to maintain security and stability there, accusing other ethnic armed groups of being involved in helping the MNDAA in the fighting.

So far, the government side has claimed control of Laukkai.

According to an unconfirmed compiled statistics, as of March 2, the government side suffered 61 deaths with 124 wounded, while 83 bodies were seized from the MNDAA with 30 arrested.

The government forces seized over 300 rounds of ammunition with some rocket shells, mines and 2,000 electronic detonators as well as some small weapons and narcotic drugs.

MNDAA, termed by the government as Kokang renegade group, ceasefired with the government in March, 1989 but was allowed to retain arms and establish Shan State (North) Special Region-1, conditionally enjoying self-administration to a certain extent.

In August 2009, fighting erupted between the two sides when the government troops searched and exposed an opium producing and illegal arms factory of the MNDAA.

Following that incident, MNDAA fled Kokang region after its capital of Laukkai was taken over by the government forces.

With an area of 5,200 square-kilometers has a population of about 150,000. Endi