Kumzar village in Oman has a thousand year-old language of its own that no one else on earth understands

Home to 4,000 people and overlooking the strategic Straits of Hormuz that Iran has threatened to close, Kumzar village has a thousand year-old language of its own that no one else on earth understands.</s>At least 19 people have been killed in fresh clashes between Myanmar’s military and an ethnic armed group in the remote northern Shan state, as fighting in the country’s borderlands intensifies.



“Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting” on Saturday, a military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured.

Rights groups say clashes in northern Myanmar near the Chinese border have ramped up in recent months as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

Thousands of people have been displaced in the country’s northern-most state of Kachin since April amid renewed fighting between the army and ethnic insurgents.

Saturday’s violence was between the military and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.



“Fighting took place since 5am this morning at three places: two military bases in Muse and one near a bridge on the way to Lashio town,” TNLA spokesman Maj Mai Aik Kyaw said, citing two of the towns in northern Shan where the clashes occurred.</s>YANGON: At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar’s military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources told Agence France-Presse. Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country. Saturday’s violence was between the military and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north. “Nineteen [people]were killed in fighting,” the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured. Thaung Tun, a local NGO leader who helped carry the injured to the hospital, said the dead included one police officer, one rebel fighter, four members of a state-backed militia, and two women civilians.

 AFP</s>At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar’s military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources said, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

Saturday’s violence was between the military and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

“Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting,” the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen were injured.

Thaung Tun, a local charity leader who helped carry the injured to the hospital, said the dead included a police officer, a rebel fighter, four members of a state-backed militia and two women civilians.

Pictures of burned out vehicles and armed men running for cover spread quickly on social media.

TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw said the group attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan state town of Muse and on a road to Lashio.

“We fight because of thorough fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State,” he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar’s northernmost state between the army and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army.

Upwards of 90,000 people live in refugee camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the powerful Kachin Independence Army and the military broke down in 2011.

Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups accuse the military of blocking aid.

Myanmar’s patchwork of ethnic groups makes up about a third of the population, but the Bamar or Burmese have filled the Buddhist-majority country’s power structures since independence in 1948.

Unofficial leader Aung San Suu Kyi insisted ending Myanmar’s long-running conflicts was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades.

Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had signed the deal before she took office.</s>YANGON: At least 19 people have been killed in fresh clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in remote northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources told AFP, as fighting in the country's borderlands intensifies.

"Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting," the military source said, adding that two-dozen had been injured.

Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up in recent months as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Saturday's violence was between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

"Fighting took place since 5am this morning at three places: two military bases in Muse and one near a bridge on the way to Lashio town," TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP, citing two of the towns in northern Shan where the clashes occurred.</s>Yangon: At least 19 people were killed Saturday in northern Myanmar when ethnic rebels attacked security force posts in restive Shan State, army and government sources said, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

Rights defenders say clashes in the north near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Saturday's operation was launched by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

Images and video from the skirmishes shared on social media showed armed men fanning out across a residential street while a rebel soldier took cover behind a car. The sound of automatic gunfire filled the air as ambulances picked up the wounded.

"Nineteen (people) were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been wounded.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay said in a Facebook post that one police officer and three state-backed militia members had been killed while 15 of the dead were innocent civilians.

"The attack to target innocent people is not asking for ethnic rights," he said. "It is just a destructive terrorist attack."

A statement posted on the page of Myanmar's commander-in-chief said military columns were in pursuit of the "terrorist insurgents".

TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP that they attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan State town of Muse and on a road to Lashio.

"We fight because of heavy fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the military and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army.

It is unclear if members of the powerful Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, took part in the attacks on Saturday though the commander-in-chief's post said they did.

More than 100,000 displaced people now reside in camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the KIA the military broke down in 2011, according to the latest UN statistics.

Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups and rebels accuse the military of blocking aid.

Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up round a third of the population, but the Bamar, or Burmese, have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long history of clashes was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades.

More than a third of Myanmar's townships are affected by unresolved conflict, according to a 2017 report from the Asia Foundation.

Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had signed the deal before she took office.

Reverend Hkalam Samsun, chairman of the Kachin Baptist Convention, said the Kachin people were "disappointed" with Suu Kyi.

"She should stand firm with the people but she compromised with the military," he said.

"She ignored the ethnic issue."</s>At least 19 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in a fresh round of fighting between the military and ethnic militants in Myanmar’s troubled northern regions, Press TV reported.

An official with Myanmar’s military said on Saturday that two dozen people had been wounded in the skirmishes that broke out outside the town of Muse in Shan State on the road to Lashio.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay said all but four of those killed were civilians, adding that one police officer and three state-backed militia members were killed by “terrorists” who had attacked joint military and militia posts and a casino earlier in the day. Htay rejected the attacks were meant to vindicate ethnic rights.

“It is just a destructive terrorist attack,” said Htay, adding, “The attack to target innocent people is not asking for ethnic rights.”

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, claimed the attacks that sparked the fighting. It said the attack was a response to the government's heavy crackdown in Shan as well as in the neighboring state of Kachin.</s>YANGON
• At least 19 people were killed yesterday in northern Myanmar when ethnic rebels attacked security force posts in restive Shan state, army and local sources said, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

The conflict in the north of Myanmar has escalated over the past month and the latest attack marks a further setback for civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's stated priority of achieving peace amid a stuttering transition from full military rule.

Rights defenders say clashes in the north near the main border gate with China have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Yesterday's operation was launched by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

Images and video from the skirmishes shared on social media showed armed men fanning out across a residential street while a rebel soldier took cover behind a car. The sound of automatic gunfire filled the air as ambulances picked up the wounded.

"Nineteen (people) were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been wounded.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay said in a Facebook post that one police officer and three state-backed militia members had been killed while 15 of the dead were innocent civilians.

He called the operation "terrorism". "The attack to target innocent people is not asking for ethnic rights," he said. "It is just a destructive terrorist attack."

He said the military would pursue the armed group.

TNLA spokesman Mai Aik Kyaw told Agence France-Presse that they attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan state town of Muse and on a road to Lashio.

"We fight because of heavy fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin state," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the military and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

It is unclear if members of the powerful KIA took part in the attacks yesterday.

More than 100,000 displaced people now reside in camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the KIA and the military broke down in 2011, according to the latest United Nations statistics.

Myanmar's military frequently clashes with several groups, which say they are fighting for greater autonomy for ethnic minorities in the area, through which much of Myanmar's foreign trade flows.

Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up around a third of the population.</s>| Published Sat, May 12th 2018 at 10:02, Updated May 12th 2018 at 10:04 GMT +3

At least 19 people have been killed in clashes between Myanmar's military and an ethnic armed group on Saturday in northern Shan State, Myanmar army and local sources told AFP, the most deadly flare-up in recent years as fighting in the borderlands intensifies.

Rights defenders say clashes in northern Myanmar near the China border have ramped up since January as the international community focuses on the Rohingya crisis in the west of the country.

ALSO READ: Opinion: Help flood victims get on their feet

The military stands accused of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the stateless minority in Rakhine.

Saturday's violence was between the military and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north.

"Nineteen [people] were killed in fighting," the Myanmar military source said, adding that two dozen had been injured.

Thaung Tun, a local NGO leader who helped carry the injured to the hospital, said the dead included one police officer, one rebel fighter, four members of a state-backed militia, and two women civilians.

Stay informed while on the go by subscribing to the Standard Group SMS service. Text the word 'NEWS' to 22840.

Pictures of burned out vehicles and armed men running for cover spread quickly on social media.



TNLA spokesman Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP that the group attacked joint military and militia posts in the Shan state town of Muse and on a road to Lashio.

"We fight because of thorough fighting in our region and the serious offensive in Kachin State," he said, referring to fresh confrontations in Myanmar's northernmost state between the army and the TNLA-aligned Kachin Independence Army.

Upwards of 90,000 people reside in IDP camps in Kachin and Shan states since a ceasefire between the powerful Kachin Independence Army and the military broke down in 2011.

Those fleeing violence have sheltered in tents and even churches in Kachin, which is mainly Christian, as rights groups accuse the military of blocking aid.

Myanmar's patchwork of ethnic groups make up round a third of the population, but the Bamar or Burmese have filled the Buddhist-majority country's power structures since independence in 1948.

Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi said ending Myanmar's long-running conflicts was her main priority after she took power in 2016, but she shares power with the military that fought the insurgencies for decades.

Suu Kyi managed to bring two ethnic groups into a ceasefire accord in February, adding to eight others who had inked the deal before she took office.</s>At least 19 people were killed in clashes between Myanmar’s military and an ethnic insurgent group in the remote northern Shan state close to the Chinese border, AFP reported quoting unidentified military officials.

Among the dead were 18 civilians and a policeman, DPA reported. About 32 people, including 27 civilians, three policemen, and two local paramilitary troopers were injured in the attack.

The encounters between the Myanmar military and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, have reportedly increased in recent months while the global focus has remained on the Rohingya refugee crisis in the western part of the country.

“Fighting took place since 5 am this morning [4 am Indian Standard Time] at three places: two military bases in Muse and one near a bridge on the way to Lashio town,” the rebel group’s spokesperson Major Mai Aik Kyaw told AFP.

The TNLA claimed that its attack was a response to the Myanmar Army’s recent offensives against the Kachin Independence Army, which is one Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic minority armed groups.
19 people are killed in clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army in Shan State.