2009 Kokang incident

Ethnic conflict in Myanmar January 2019 August 2024 Kokang incident the Myanmar conflict 27–30 August 2009 Kokang, Myanmar type:event_region:MY dms inline,title Burmese government victory Flag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.svg Myanmar National Democratic Alliance ArmyFlag of the Eastern Shan State Special Region 4 (Myanmar).png National Democratic Alliance ArmyUnited Wa State Army flag.png United Wa State Army Myanmar 1974 Union of MyanmarMNDAA mutineers Flag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.svg Pheung Kya-shinFlag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.svg Pheung Kya-fuFlag of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army.svg Pheung Daxun Myanmar 1974 Min Aung HlaingBai XuoqianWei ChaorenLiu GuoxiMing Xuechang Per junta government:8 killed640 weapons seizedAgence France-Presse 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090830/world/myanmar_china_unrest_ethnic_media Myanmar says 34 killed as border fighting ends dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090923044138/http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090830/world/myanmar_china_unrest_ethnic_media 23 September 2009 Per junta government:26 killed47 woundedPer MNDAA and allies: 30+ killed 1 Chinese citizen killed30,000 displaced Kokang.svg Location of the Kokang region (green) within Shan State (yellow) The Kokang incident was a violent series of skirmishes that broke out in August 2009 in Kokang in Myanmar's northern Shan State.http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/152806/more-fighting-feared-as-thousands-flee-burma More fighting feared as thousands flee Burma Bangkok Post Agence France-Presse 27 August 2009 28 August 2009 Several clashes between ethnic minorities and the Burmese military junta forces (including the Myanmar Armed Forces, also known as Tatmadaw, and the Myanmar Police Force) took place. As a result of the conflict, the MNDAA lost control of the area and as many as 30,000 refugees fled to Yunnan in neighbouring China.https://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/12/asia/myanmar-violence/ 47 Myanmar soldiers reported dead in clashes with Kokang rebels 13 February 2015 19 February 2015 11 April 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190411203823/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/12/asia/myanmar-violence/ live Background internal conflict in Myanmar The civil war in Burma (later Myanmar) began when the first shots were fired by the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in April 1948 in the small village of Paukkongyi in the Pegu District (present-day Bago Region).Lintner 2019 1 Since the late 1960s Kokang was under control by some warlords, the first of them were the Communists and later the Kokang nationalists. In March 1989 a group made by Phone Kyar Shin was formed as a splinter group from the CPB called the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The rebels in Kokang made soon after a ceasefire with the Burmese military government; they also were the first armed ethnic group to do so.South 2008 140 That same year was the CPB dissolved after a peace agreement was made between them and the government.https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/demise-powerful-communist-party-now-burmese.html The Demise of a Once Powerful Communist Party—Now in Burmese The Irrawaddy 3 October 2013 25 February 2020 22 February 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210222101014/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/demise-powerful-communist-party-now-burmese.html live Other groups like the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA)https://www.irrawaddy.com/in-person/interview/whats-next-ndaa-border-boomtown-mong-la.htmll What's Next for NDAA and Its Border Boomtown of Mong La? The Irrawaddy 6 May 2019 25 February 2020 and the United Wa State Army (UWSA) were also formed in 1989.https://www.tni.org/en/article/twenty-years-on-the-wa-burmese-cease-fire-looks-shakier Twenty Years on, the Wa-Burmese Cease-fire Looks Shakier Transnational Institute 24 April 2009 25 February 2020 25 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200225200615/https://www.tni.org/en/article/twenty-years-on-the-wa-burmese-cease-fire-looks-shakier live Like the MNDAA they are splinter groups from the CPB and after their splits, they also made ceasefires with the Burmese government. This would be followed by many rebels in the states Kachin, Kayah, Mon and Shan made partial ceasefire agreements in the 1990s.https://www.irrawaddy.com/specials/timeline-70-years-ethnic-armed-resistance-movements-myanmar.html Timeline: 70 Years of Ethnic Armed Resistance Movements in Myanmar The Irrawaddy 1 February 2019 25 February 2020 During the truce agreement, the MNDAA was allowed to control their checkpoints and collect taxes from the people. In return the Tatmadaw was allowed to travel freely within the just established Shan State Special Region 1 (SR1). The MNDAA had in 2007 between 3,000 and 4,000 men.South 2008 141 When the 2008 constitution was signed as part of the truce agreement, Kokang became one of the five self-administered zones within Myanmar.https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/9589-new-self-administered-areas-struggle-to-assert-authority.html New Self-administered Areas Struggle to Assert Authority Myanmar Times 17 February 2014 25 February 2020 11 January 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200111214032/https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/9589-new-self-administered-areas-struggle-to-assert-authority.html dead Since then, the military junta has proposed that the ethnic armies be assimilated into the Tatmadaw and converted into the Border Guard Forces (BGF);Egreteau Jagan 2013 281 almost all of the ethnic armies have opposed this plan,http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/95195/briefing-myanmar%E2%80%99s-ethnic-problems Myanmar's Ethnic Problems The New Humanitarian 29 March 2012 27 February 2020 27 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200227153747/http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/95195/briefing-myanmar%E2%80%99s-ethnic-problems live with exceptions of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the New Democratic Army - Kachin (NDA-K) who joined the BGF.http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/91221/myanmar-border-guard-plan-could-fuel-ethnic-conflict Border Guard Plan Could Fuel Ethnic Conflict The New Humanitarian 29 November 2010 27 February 2020 27 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200227153749/http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/91221/myanmar-border-guard-plan-could-fuel-ethnic-conflict live Observers and activists claim that the junta's motivation for this proposal is to disarm and neutralise the ethnic groups before the Myanmar general election scheduled to take place sometime in 2010.https://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE57S0T020090829 Q+A: Will Fighting in Northern Myanmar Escalate? Reuter 29 August 2009 27 February 2020 28 March 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220328150733/https://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE57S0T020090829 live Prelude Kokang has been ruled since 1989 by the leader of the MNDAA, Peng Jiasheng (also known as Pheung Kya-shin,http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2695:kokang-capital-falls-not-shoot-first-policy-under-fire&catid=86:war&Itemid=284 Kokang Capital Falls: "Not shoot first" Policy under Fire Shan Herald 26 August 2009 27 February 2020 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090902153753/http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2695%3Akokang-capital-falls-not-shoot-first-policy-under-fire&catid=86%3Awar&Itemid=284 2 September 2009 Its population was in 2005–2006 about} 70 per cent Chinese Kokang, 12 per cent Paulang, 3 percent of each the Miao and Lisu and 2 per cent Wa.South 2008 140 Until 2003, the MNDAA produced opium but they stopped producing it under Chinese and Burmese pressure.Egreteau Jagan 2013 283 Two years later the Burmese government declared that poppy growing in the Shan State would be illegal.https://www.tni.org/en/page/drugs-and-conflict-in-burma Drugs and Conflict in Burma 8 February 2011 Transnational Institute 27 February 2020 27 February 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200227203637/https://www.tni.org/en/page/drugs-and-conflict-in-burma live UNODC 2018 13 But even after that, there are claims that Kokang is still a center of illegal drug trading.http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16662 The Irrawaddy Junta Renews 'Divide-and-Rule' Tactic in Shan State 28 August 2009 28 February 2020 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090830013458/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16662 30 August 2009 The Daily Herald 2009 33 Tensions came to a head on 8 August 2009 when the junta military, acting on a tip-off from China,The Myanmar Times http://www.mmtimes.com/no488/n003.htm Tip from China sparked Kokang arms factory raid, says gov't 14 September 2009 Myint, Zaw 17 September 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090923112416/http://www.mmtimes.com/no488/n003.htm 23 September 2009 moved into the region for a raid on a gun factory suspected of being a drug frontThe Irrawaddy Kokang Thwart Burma Army Drug Raid http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=16525 10 August 2009 28 August 2009 Lawi Weng dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090903011415/http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=16525 3 September 2009 and on Kokang leader Pheung's home.Associated Press Bodeen Christopher http://www.canadaeast.com/news/article/774873 Fighting in Myanmar sending refugees to China, underscoring Beijing's border woes 28 August 2009 29 August 2009 2 September 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090902161855/http://www.canadaeast.com/news/article/774873 live China Daily Situation in Myanmar's Kokang region remains http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-08/29/content_8630621.htm 29 August 2009 30 August 2009 1 September 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090901060321/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-08/29/content_8630621.htm live This confrontation, according to the newspaper Shan Herald, was only a "stand-off", with no shots being fired;10 August 2009 29 August 2009 Junta and Kokang almost come to blows Shan Herald http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2673:junta-and-kokang-almost-come-to-blows&catid=86:war&Itemid=284 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100620191327/http://shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2673%3Ajunta-and-kokang-almost-come-to-blows&catid=86%3Awar&Itemid=284 20 June 2010 http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2681:kokang-returns-to-normal&catid=86:war&Itemid=284 Kokang returns to "normal" Shan Herald 17 August 2009 29 August 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090902153732/http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2681%3Akokang-returns-to-normal&catid=86%3Awar&Itemid=284 2 September 2009 nevertheless, it triggered a mass exodus of locals who were worried about the possibility of violence. and a resident of the Kokang regional capital Laukkai later described the city as a "ghost town".http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2678:juntas-ploy-push-kokang-to-shoot-first&catid=86:war&Itemid=284 Junta's ploy: push Kokang to shoot first 14 August 2009 29 August 2009 Shan Herald dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090901151337/http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2678%3Ajuntas-ploy-push-kokang-to-shoot-first&catid=86%3Awar&Itemid=284 1 September 2009 Chinese officials had to intervene in the face-off, and by 17 August officials claimed that the situation in Kokang was "normal" again. The MNDAA reportedly has about 1,000 to 1,500 soldiers. Recently there has been an inter-faction split within the army, with Pheung being opposed by deputy chairman Bai Xuoqian—while Pheung has opposed efforts to integrate the Kokang army with the Tatmadaw, Bai has supported it and gained the junta's backing. According to the newspaper Shan Herald, several factions of the Kokang army have become loyal to the junta, and three high-ranking army officials informed the junta government that Pheung was secretly producing illicit weapons and drugs. Violence Myanmar Laukkai Green pog.svg 23 41 42 98 45 51 right 180 right Location of Laukkai, regional capital of Kokang By 20 August, however, government troops were beginning to gather near Laukkai, and Kokang leaders reportedly urged residents to "be prepared", which prompted even more people to flee.Tension sparks people to flee into China Shan Herald 24 August 2009 29 August 2009 http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2692:tension-sparks-people-to-flee-into-china&catid=86:war&Itemid=284 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090902153738/http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2692%3Atension-sparks-people-to-flee-into-china&catid=86%3Awar&Itemid=284 2 September 2009 On 24 August, junta troops captured and occupied LaukkaiMyanmar military moves to crush Kokang Chinese http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/283048,myanmar-military-moves-to-crush-kokang-chinese.html 27 August 2009 28 August 2009 Earth Times 13 January 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180113093001/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/283048,myanmar-military-moves-to-crush-kokang-chinese.html dead "without firing a shot". The anti-junta Kachin News claimed that the takeover was aided by a "mutiny" staged by Kokang army leaders who had become loyal to the junta.http://www.kachinnews.com/index.php/news/1062-burmese-troops-and-kokang-soldiers-clash.html Kachin News 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 Burmese troops and Kokang soldiers clash dead https://web.archive.org/web/20091020173201/http://www.kachinnews.com/index.php/news/1062-burmese-troops-and-kokang-soldiers-clash.html 20 October 2009 On 27 August,Xinhua News Agency Fightings (sic) keep on in Myanmar's Kokang region http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/30/content_11964522.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090830213328/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/30/content_11964522.htm dead 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army began to open fire on junta troops outside the city; according to a government statement, the Kokang army raided a police checkpoint near the border. Later Wa, Kachin, and as many as nine other ethnic groups joined in the fighting;The New York Times Fuller Thomas 28 August 2009 28 August 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/world/asia/29myanmar.html?ref=world Refugees Flee to China as Fighting Breaks Out in Myanmar 1 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110501101557/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/world/asia/29myanmar.html?ref=world live the United Wa State Army, Myanmar's largest ethnic military force, was also involved in the fighting, as was the National Democratic Alliance Army (also known as the Mong La Army).The Irrawaddy 28 August 2009 29 August 2009 Burmese Cease Fire Breaks Down http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16658 Saw Yan Naing dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090830013448/http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=16658 30 August 2009 On 27 and 28 there were more battles in the villages of Yan Lon Kyaik and Chinshwehaw, near the Chinese border. Across the border, the Chinese army increased its numbers in attempt to maintain border stability. By late 29 August, the United States-based Campaign for Burma claimed that as many as 700 Kokang fighters, outnumbered by junta troops, had fled, surrendered to the Chinese, and given up their weapons.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-china-myanmar,0,2397711.story Chicago Tribune Ng Han Guan Ethnic rebels flee Myanmar, abandoning weapons and uniforms for safe haven in south China 30 August 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090904163223/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-china-myanmar,0,2397711.story 4 September 2009 dead The Irrawaddy Wai Moe Fighting Stops as Kokang Surrender Arms to Chinese 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=16667 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090901195428/http://www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=16667 1 September 2009 Kokang soldiers interviewed in China after surrendering also said they had been overrun.http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/20098306161918344.html Myanmar fighters cross into China Al Jazeera 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034332/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/20098306161918344.html 27 June 2018 While the Kokang army appears to have been routed, the larger United Wa State Army was still active, and Al Jazeera reported that the government was requesting reinforcements to deal with them; The New York Times, however, reported that the Wa army had withdrawn as early as 28 August.Fuller Thomas The New York Times 30 August 2009 30 August 2009 Myanmar Forces Overwhelm Rebels https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/world/asia/31iht-myanmar.html 14 July 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110714052938/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/world/asia/31iht-myanmar.html live The government issued a statement on 30 August claiming that the fighting had ended, and later formed a new "Kokang Region Provisional Leading Committee" in Laukkai.Xinhua News Agency 1 September 2009 2 September 2009 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/01/content_11980792.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090907113913/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/01/content_11980792.htm dead 7 September 2009 More than 2,800 Myanmar border inhabitants return to Kokang after fightings end The Myanmar Army's operation in the incident was overseen by Min Aung Hlaing and he was credited for it by the junta.http://www.altsean.org/Research/Regime%20Watch/Executive/CIC.php https://web.archive.org/web/20110731003910/http://www.altsean.org/Research/Regime%20Watch/Executive/CIC.php dead 31 July 2011 Senior General Min Aung Hlaing 27 February 2015 altsean.org Casualties and refugees No official casualty count was released in the first two days of fighting, although Pheung Kya-shin claimed that his forces had killed over thirty Tatmadaw troops. One Chinese person was killed during fighting when a bomb went over the border.The Times of India Fresh violence near China-Myanmar border http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-29/china/28159665_1_myanmar-military-junta-myanmar-government-myanmarese https://archive.today/20130126073231/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-08-29/china/28159665_1_myanmar-military-junta-myanmar-government-myanmarese dead 26 January 2013 Dasgupta Saibal 29 August 2009 29 August 2009 https://archive.today/20130124230359/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gaS4NOB2jmkI6M2kJJ3-QBnOfEWQ 1 killed by bomb along China-Myanmar border: media. AFP. 29 August 2009. On 30 August, the junta government released its first figures, claiming that the fighting had killed twenty-six junta troops (fifteen police, eleven soldiers) and wounded forty-seven (thirteen police, thirty-four soldiers), and that eight rebel bodies had been found; the figures have not been independently confirmed, however. From 8 to 12 August, as many as 10,000 residents fled to Yunnan in neighbouring China, becoming refugees.BBC News https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8223430.stm Thousands Flee Burma Violence 26 August 2009 28 August 2009 29 August 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090829215715/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8223430.stm live The total number of refugees fleeing in the entire month may be as high as 30,000, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and later the Yunnan provincial government.Tran, Tini (29 August 2009). New Myanmar clashes leave 1 dead, dozens injured https://web.archive.org/web/20090904035018/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3erz_xCOMgFXnPSD0FMVpWMWikgD9ACKP6G4 4 September 2009 . Associated Press. Yunnan's police chief later reported that the number of refugees in Yunnan reached 37,000, including Burmese refugees as well as Kokang.http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/31/content_11968443.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090902152333/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/31/content_11968443.htm dead 2 September 2009 Xinhua News Agency 30 August 2009 31 August 2009 Myanmar border inhabitants begin to return from China as situation calms Reuters 31 August 2009 31 August 2009 Myanmar refugees weigh risks of returning from China Buckley Chris https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE57S0IR20090831 1 September 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090901161011/http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE57S0IR20090831 live Yunnan government officials stated they have established seven locations (particularly near the city of Nansan, where most of the refugees arrived) to house and treat the refugees; some locals, however, claimed that not all the refugees were being housed, or were being housed in unfinished buildings and tents. According to one refugee, about 13,000 of the refugees were housed in the tents, and 10,000–20,000 more stayed with friends or family in the area.http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/200983173936250395.html Myanmar refugees wary of return Al Jazeera 31 August 2009 31 August 2009 31 August 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090831100456/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/08/200983173936250395.html live By 31 August, some refugees (as many as 4,000, according to local officials,Associated Press http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1210766.html Ng Han Guan 31 August 2009 31 August 2009 Myanmar refugees begin to return home from China Miami Herald October 2010 H3llBot or 2,800 according to the junta government) had started returning to Kokang;http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-31-voa19.cfm Voice of America News 31 August 2009 31 August 2009 Shearf Daniel Burma Refugees in China Head Home as Fighting Dies Down dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090903010541/http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-31-voa19.cfm 3 September 2009 by mid-September, Chinese officials said over 9,000 refugees had returnedEmerging Fault Lines in Sino-Burmese Relations: The Kokang Incident http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=35468&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=3cc6a7017c China Brief 19 8 Storey Ian 10 September 2009 11 September 2009 15 September 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090915174608/http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35468&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=3cc6a7017c live and Myanmar officials said over 13,000;Myanmar says market trading in Kokang capital returns to normal Xinhua News Agency 7 September 2009 11 September 2009 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/07/content_12009467.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090910021826/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/07/content_12009467.htm dead 10 September 2009 many refugees, however, were still afraid to go back. Pheung was also rumoured to have fled Kokang,http://ngdsb.hinews.cn/html/2009-08/29/content_154639.htm zh:果敢乱局当前 传"果敢王"已逃离 29 August 2009 29 August 2009 传言果敢特区领导人彭家声已经逃离。English: "It is rumored that the leader of the Kokang Special Region, Peng Jiasheng, has also fled." zh 11 May 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110511180947/http://ngdsb.hinews.cn/html/2009-08/29/content_154639.htm live and is currently in China,Los Angeles Times Myanmar troops attack minority militia in the north http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-myanmar-fighting30-2009aug30,0,4841699.story Magnier Mark 29 August 2009 29 August 2009 2 September 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090902222229/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-myanmar-fighting30-2009aug30,0,4841699.story live although his precise location has not been revealed. Before the Kokang forces surrendered, he claimed that he was still controlling them from abroad. Reaction Although China has in the past supported the military junta, during the conflict, it had instead warned Myanmar to end the situation, saying they should "properly handle domestic problems and maintain stability in the China-Myanmar border region"Johnson Tim 29 August 2009 29 August 2009 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/28/AR2009082803764.html China Urges Burma to Bridle Ethnic Militia Uprising at Border The Washington Post 15 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100915145855/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/28/AR2009082803764.html live and urging Burma to protect "Chinese citizens in Myanmar". Chinese officials were said to be "furious" and "extremely upset" over not being forewarned about the offensive on the border. Chinese and other analysts expressed concern that this conflict could lead to a civil war in Burma. The Burmese Foreign Ministry later apologised to China about the incident, but also ran a story on the Dalai Lama in the government newspaper the Myanmar Times, the first mention of him in the state controlled Burmese media for 20 years.Jagan, Larry (1 September 2009). Border war rattles China-Myanmar ties. Asia Times Online. The UN has also expressed concern about reports of fighting and thousands of refugees fleeing across the border.Islam, Siddique (29 August 2009). U.N. Voices Concern As Fresh Fighting Breaks Out In Northeastern Burma https://web.archive.org/web/20090903032012/http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016243547?U.N.%20Voices%20Concern%20As%20Fresh%20Fighting%20Breaks%20Out%20In%20Northeastern%20Burma 3 September 2009 . AHN. The American government also voiced its concern, and called on the junta to end its military campaign against the cease-fire groups.Xinhua News Agency 31 August 2009 31 August 2009 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/01/content_11974326.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090902191139/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/01/content_11974326.htm dead 2 September 2009 U.S. urges end to violence in Myanmar Aftermath After the fighting ended, the new Kokang leader claimed that the Kokang people would participate in the 2010 general elections; other cease-fire groups such as the Wa and Kachin still maintain that they will not participate.Myanmar says Chinese tip-off led to border clash Associated Press 10 September 2009 11 September 2009 https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i2nUHOdn-KZ9M9fpx0qKHABSXhQgD9AK72Q02June 2024 medicmedic Bai, vice-president under Peng Jiasheng, became the new head of Kokang with the support of ruling junta in 2009. The portion of the MNDAA loyal to him became Border Guard Force #1006. He is also head of Kokang Self Administered Zone and a member of Myanmar parliament in 2011.http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D4452%3Akokang-wants-to-join-ceasefire-talks%26catid%3D85%3Apolitics%26Itemid%3D266 Kokang wants to join ceasefire talks 14 May 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20140913081914/http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4452%3Akokang-wants-to-join-ceasefire-talks&catid=85%3Apolitics&Itemid=266 13 September 2014 dead The area was peaceful until new clashes between Peng Jiasheng's troops and Myanmar troops erupted in February 2015.Khin Maung Win Associated Press Myanmar says Kokang rebels on the run despite allies' help http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/myanmar-says-kokang-rebels-on-the-run-despite-allies-help-1.331007 Stars and Stripes 24 February 2015 24 February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150224121907/http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/myanmar-says-kokang-rebels-on-the-run-despite-allies-help-1.331007 live Major General Huang Xing, the former head of the research guidance department at the Chinese Academy of Military Science, was ousted in 2015 because of his relationship with MNDAA during this incident.Minnie Chan Senior Chinese military strategist 'leaked state secrets, helped rebels in Myanmar' https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1730837/pla-military-strategist-leaked-state-secrets-helped-myanmar-rebels South China Morning Post 6 March 2015 8 March 2015 8 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150308140643/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1730837/pla-military-strategist-leaked-state-secrets-helped-myanmar-rebels live See also 2015 Kokang offensive China–Myanmar relations Internal conflict in Myanmar References 30em Bibliography Egreteau Renaud Jagan Larry 2013 Soldiers and Diplomacy in Burma: Understanding the Foreign Relations of the Burmese Praetorian State NUS Press https://books.google.com/books?id=bvbwBgAAQBAJ&q=2009+Kokang+incident Singapore 978-9971-696-73-3 Lintner Bertil 2019 Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency since 1948 Routledge https://books.google.com/books?id=dWClDwAAQBAJ Abingdon, England 978-0429-720-59-8 South Ashley 2008 Ethnic Politics in Burma: States of Conflict Routledge https://books.google.com/books?id=U5Z9AgAAQBAJ&q=bibliogroup:%22Routledge+Contemporary+Southeast+Asia+Series%22 Abingdon, England 978-1134-129-53-9 The Daily Herald 10 September 2009 The Daily Herald, Thursday, September 10, 2009 The Daily Herald http://www.thedailyherald.info/subscribers/clients-files/2009/09-Sep-09/sep-10-09.pdf 19 99 Philipsburg, Sint MaartenFebruary 2025 medicmedic UNODC 2018 Myanmar Opium Survey 2018 Cultivation, Production and Implications United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime https://www.unodc.org/documents/crop-monitoring/Myanmar/Myanmar_Opium_Survey_2018-web.pdf External links Chinese Dam Builders Fan Conflict in Burma Border Guard Force Scheme – Myanmar Peace Monitor Category:2009 conflicts Category:2009 in Myanmar Category:August 2009 in Asia Category:Internal conflict in Myanmar 2009 Kokang incident