by Francis Khoo Thwe

For the first time, the military struck "the heart of Laiza," killing a 15-year-old boy. Two girls, 2 and 8, are among the wounded. As tens of thousands of people are displaced, the humanitarian crisis is getting worse. Sources told AsiaNews that the military is moving on four fronts, pounding enemy targets every day from the air.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - Myanmar forces have intensified their attacks against rebels in Kachin state on the border with China. Three people are confirmed dead (pictured), sources told AsiaNews. "For the first time, Burmese troops directly hit Laiza," the rebel stronghold. The latest report indicates that in addition to the three dead, six people were wounded, including women and children.

Colonel James Lum Dau, spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), said in an official statement that three rounds of artillery were fired into Laiza. On the government side, there have been no reports about the attack. No government minister has spoken about it.

In the past few weeks, the Myanmar Air Force joined the fighting between regular Burmese troops and Kachin forces, overshadowing the country's slow journey towards political reforms.

This has cast doubts about the possibility of lasting peace in a country run for decades by a military dictatorship, this despite efforts by the current administration of President Thein Sein (in power since February 2011) to put that period behind.

In the latest round of fighting, Burmese forces have attacked on four fronts, a local source, anonymous for security reason, told AsiaNews: "In the Pangwa area in the north, near Laiza in the centre, in Mai Ja to the east, and in the West, in the Hpa Kant sector."

Burmese artillery this morning fired 105 mm and 155 mm rounds into the heart of Laiza, killing three civilians and wounding six more. The dead are Hpauyu Doi San Awng, 15; Nhkum Bawk Naw (age unkown) and Hpungtau Malang Yaw, 76. Two girls, 2 and 8, are among the wounded.

Planes continue pounding rebel positions as they have done since 14 December when they hit Pangwa, north of Laiza. Since 24 December, planes have struck Laiza every day, except 4 January, Myanmar's independence day.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis is getting worse for the civilian population as more and more people are displaced by the fighting.

The Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), the KIA's political wing, is the only rebel group that has not signed a peace accord with President Thein Sein and his pro-reform government.

Fighting flared up again in June 2011 after 17 years of hiatus when Kachin leaders refused to give up control of a strategic site near a hydroelectric plant under construction in accordance with a joint China-Myanmar agreement.

On the long run, the conflict with the Kachins will be the most important problem the central government must face if it wants to implement democratic reforms.

Nobel Peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi recently spoke about the matter. Rejecting calls for her direct involvement, she said that "it is up to the government" to find a solution.

• myanmar
• kachin
• united
• nations
• military
• war
• fighting