More than 150 prisoners in Insein Prison in Rangoon were transported to an unknown location by authorities on Thursday. Most of those selected were long-term prisoners. Some observers said the government might be planning to use the prisoners as porters in its offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin State. A person who recently visited a political prisoner in Myitkyina Prison in Kachin State said that on June 9, an estimated 100 prisoners were taken from the prison. A former official in the New Democratic Army-Kachin who lives in Myitkyina said that the Burmese government is using prisoners in its offensive against the KIA. 2011.06.17 Mizzima
Burmese government troops have banned residents of two Kachin villages—Hna Lin Hpa and Ton Hon in Na Kham Township—from fleeing so that they can use the villagers as human shields, said local residents. Seng Aung, who lives in Laiza on the China-Burma border, said that some villagers want to escape the hostilities, but the government won’t let them go. Some lie to the authorities, saying they are going to work on their farm, but then flee to Laiza for safety. Meanwhile, four Kachin villagers in Ma Kan Village, Na Kham Township, were arrested and tortured by government troops. 2011.06.17 The Irrawaddy
Around 10,000 ethnic Kachin are now believed to have fled their homes in northern Burma but reports yesterday from the frontline suggest that days of intense fighting have eased. As well as the 2,000-odd Kachin who have crossed the border to China in recent days, thousands more have fled to Laiza, the headquarters of the KIA, and areas further north close to Myitkyina and Manwein. Much of the fighting has taken place close to China-backed hydropower projects, with some analysts speculating that the Burmese government is aiming to rout insurgent groups from these sensitive areas, perhaps under pressure from Beijing. China’s made its first official acknowledgement of the escalating conflict came yesterday when it called for “restraint” from both sides, following requests from the KIA that Beijing plays an intermediary role between it and the Burmese government. 2011.06.17 DVB