Kachin Independence Army

The Kachin Independence Army (Burmese: ကချင် လွတ်မြောက်ရေး တပ်မတော်; abbreviated KIA) is the military arm of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a political group composed of ethnic Kachins in northern Burma (Myanmar). The Kachins are a coalition of six tribes whose homeland encompasses territory in Yunnan, China and far-eastern India, in addition to Kachin State in Burma.

The KIA formed in 1961 in response to a military coup in Burma led by General Ne Win, who attempted to consolidate Burmese control over regions on the periphery of the state which were home to various ethnic groups. From 1961 until 1994, the KIA fought a grueling and inconclusive war against the Burmese junta. Originally the KIA fought for independence, but now the official KIO policy goal is for autonomy within a federal union of Burma.^{[citation needed]}

The 1994 ceasefire agreement between the KIA and the Burmese junta froze the conflict in place.^{[citation needed]} The KIA has not disarmed or surrendered, and continues to recruit, train and mobilize soldiers. Prior to the ceasefire the KIA was predominantly a low-tech guerrilla force, but peace has provided the breathing room to establish a military academy and design rigorous officer training programs.^{[citation needed]}

The KIA is fully funded by the KIO, which raises revenue through drugs, taxes and the exploitation of natural resources such as jade, timber and gold. Although well equipped for jungle warfare, the KIA does not have much modern weaponry.^{[citation needed]} Their rifles are a motley collection of AK-47s, and commanders claim to have some artillery. KIA headquarters is located outside the town of Laiza, in southern Kachin state near the Chinese border. Former headquarters, located at Pajau, are a 2-3 hour drive from Laiza, high in the mountains along the border.^{[citation needed]}

Although the ceasefire between the government and the KIA has endured since 1994, many Kachins expect a renewed outbreak of war in the future, perhaps in conjunction with elections scheduled for 2010. The Military junta that runs Burma is demanding that all ethnic armies disarm before the general elections because the new constitution requires only one army in Burma but the Kachin army is unwilling to disarm. According to Gen. Gam Shawng Gunhtang, the chief of staff of the KIA, the demands to disarm are "not acceptable". In February 2010 Alastair Leithead reported for the BBC that KIA's Chief of Staff, Maj Gen Gam Shawng said "I can't say if there will be war for sure, but the government wants us to become a border guard force for them by the end of the month", and "We will not do that, or disarm, until they have given us a place in a federal union and ethnic rights as was agreed in 1947".

In October 2010 KIA commanders informed the BBC that they have "10,000 regular troops and 10,000 reservists", but the BBC had no way to confirm this, and in 2009 Thomas Fuller of the NYT estimated their numbers at about 4,000 active soldiers. The soldiers are divided into five brigades, plus one mobile brigade. Most are stationed in bases close to the Chinese border, in strips of territory held by the KIO. One brigade is stationed in northern Shan state, where there is a large Kachin population.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, general Sumlut Gun Maw confirmed renewed fighting in the state of Kachin for independance. One of the new reasons for the ending of the ceasefire is the creation of the Myitsonedam which requires the submergence of dozens of villages in Kachin state.

See also

• Internal conflict in Burma

References

• BBC staff (19 October 2010), Burma army in tense stand-off with Kachin militia, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11571435 
• Leithead, Alastair (22 February 2010), Burma's Kachin army prepares for civil war, BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8528985.stm 
• Fuller, Thomas (11 May 2009), Ethnic Groups in Myanmar Hope for Peace, but Gird for Fight, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11iht-myanmar.html 
• Tran, Mark (7 July 2009), Burma rebels vow to stop using child soldiers, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/07/burma-rebels-child-soldiers-vow  "This article was amended on Monday 31 August 2009 to remove references to the alleged age of SSA soldier"

Further reading

• Bertil, Lintner (2002), The Kachin: Lords of Burma's Northern Frontier, Art Media Resources, ISBN 1876437057 
• Tucker, Shelby (2001), Among Insurgents: Walking Through Burma (New ed.), Flamingo;, ISBN 0007127057