Protesters in Kachin state, Burma, hold placards saying “For a more peaceful day, war is not the way” and “Stop civil war in Kachin state.” (Seng Mai/European Pressphoto Agency)Angered by the death of a 2-year-old girl, thousands of protesters marched through Myitkyina, capital of Burma’s Kachin state, last week, demanding an end to Burmese military offensives. “Because of the reckless offensives of the Burmese military, children are killed and injured,” said Tsa Ji, of the Kachin Development Network Group, one of the organizers of Thursday’s protest. After decades of conflict, insecurity, forced displacement and lack of development, public protests have been gathering strength in Burma’s ethnic areas. A spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army said there were no rebel troops stationed in or around Pu Wang village at the time of the shelling. Over the past couple of months, the Burmese military has intensified its attacks on rebel groups in north and northeastern Burma.

Source: Washington Post October 09, 2016 22:52 UTC