At least 19 people killed in clashes in Myanmar

Members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army rebel group in Shan state in 2014 (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Hanoi (VNA) – At least 19 people were killed in Shan state in northern Myanmar on May 12, as armed ethnic rebels launched attacks on security posts and a gambling house near China’s border.

One police officer, three paramilitary forces and 15 civilians were killed, said spokesperson of the Myanmar Government Zaw Htay. He also referred the incident as a terror attack. 

According to a military source, more than 20 others were injured during those clashes.

The Ta-ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), among rebel groups asking for autonomous rights in northern Myanmar, later claimed responsibility for the attack.

TNLA spokesperson, Major Mai Aik Kyaw said the group also launched assaults on military posts on the outskirts of Shan state’s Muse town, along with a gambling house on the way to Lashio town of the state.

Violence takes place after a breach of the ceasefire between government army and Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic insurgent group in northern Myanmar in 2011.

According to the United Nations, clashes had driven more than 100,000 people to flee and live in refugee camps in Kachin and Shan states.-VNA