UPDATED NEWS ON K.N.U

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Update information

On the mid-night of 26 April 1997, at 0030 hours, SLORC and DKBA troops
attacked the Toe Per Poo refugee camp . They looted things and money
from the
houses and shops, and then they set fire to the camp. Thirty houses were
burnt down. They forced some people to carry the things. Those people
did not
come back until now. A villager was killed by SLORC. 

KNU Information Center
BATTLES NEWS

1.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Htee Nar Day.
SLORC casualties are unknown.

2.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Paw Bo Baw
Daw.
SLORC casualties are unknown.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Hta Law Plo
Day.
At the same day, SLORC troops stepped again on a KNLA mine at Hto Lu.Two
SLORC soldiers lost their legs.

3.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) At 1845 hours, a battle broke out between KNLA
troops
and SLORC troops at Nwar Soe Kho. KNLA troops suffered (1) dead.

4.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) A clash broke out between the KNLA troops and
SLORC
troops at Ta Nay Hpar. KNLA troops suffered (2) dead and one KNLA
soldier was
injured.

5.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Htee Ler Baw
Lu.
SLORC casualties are unknown.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Du Oh Mar
Day.
One SLORC soldier lost his leg.

(No.(6) Brigade Area) Four clashes broke out between the KNLA troops and
LIR
(204) at Kya Ka Wa and Aw Lar Area. SLORC casualties are unknown.

6.4.97

(No.(5) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Khaw Lu.
One
SLORC soldier lost his leg. 
                                      SLORC troops stepped on two KNLA
mines
at Paw Thaw. Two SLORC soldiers lost their legs.

7.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) KNLA troops ambushed SLORC troops at Shwe Tar. Two
SLORC soldiers were killed, four SLORC soldiers were injured and one
SLORC
truck was destroyed.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Hlee Pway
Day.
One SLORC soldier lost his leg.

8.4.97

(No.(7) Brigade Area) At 0800 hours, SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine
at
Hpe Ta Kha Kee. One SLORC soldier lost his leg. At 1530 hours, SLORC
troops
stepped on a KNLA mine at Paw Khay. One SLORC soldier lost his leg.

9.4.97

(No.(5) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Htaw Thwe
Day. At
the same day, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at War Me Khee. Two
SLORC
soldiers were injured.

(No.(3) Brigade Area) At 0904 hours, a battle broke out between the KNLA
troops and SLORC troops at Mae Aw Ker. KNLA troops suffered (1) dead.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) Four clashes broke out between KNLA troops and
SLORC
troops at Hto Hta, War Kha Der, Nyar Lee Hta and Hto Ler.

10.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Mae Bu Hta.
One
SLORC soldier was killed.
                                      At 1420 hours, a battle broke out
between KNLA troops and SLORC troops at a position between Mae Nee Khee
and
Thae Khee. SLORC casualties are unknown. At the same day, three KNLA
were
exploded, casualties are unknown.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) Two clashes broke out between the KNLA troops and
SLORC
troops at Po Ma Hae and a position between Ta Ro Day and Htee Klee Khee.
KNLA
troops suffered (1) dead. 

11.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Saw Thae Hta.
SLORC casualties are unknown.
                                      SLORC troops stepped on (3) KNLA
mines.
Three SLORC soldiers lost their legs. Four clashes broke out between the
KNLA
troops and SLORC troops. Two SLORC soldiers were killed and four SLORC
soldiers were injured.

(No.(4) Brigade Area) A clash broke out between KNLA troops and SLORC
troops
at Maw Po. One SLORC soldier was killed and one SLORC soldier was
injured.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Htee Paw Paw
Lu.
SLORC casualties are unknown.
                                      SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA
mine at
a position between Po Ler and Po Mae. Two SLORC soldiers were injured.
Including one battalion commander.

12.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade) At 1515 hours, KNLA troops ambushed SLORC troops at a
position between Ta Kaw Der and Au Khae Khee. SLORC casualties are
unknown.

13.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) A clash broke out between KNLA troops and SLORC
troops
at Ler Kwar Kaw. SLORC casualties are unknown. 

(No.(2) Brigade Area) At 1700 hours, a battle broke out between KNLA and
SLORC at a position between Kler Der and Ka Mar Sai. SLORC casualties
are
unknown.

14.4.97

(No.(3) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at a position
between They Kho Ser Der and Per Khee. One SLORC soldier lost his leg.
                                      A KNLA mine exploded at Nae Soe.
One
SLORC soldier was killed and five SLORC soldier were injured. At the
same
day, two KNLA mines exploded again at Htee Daw Lay. Two SLORC soldiers
lost
their legs.

(No(2) Brigade Area) At 1000 hours, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at
a
position between Ku Ler Der and Kaw Thay Der. One SLORC soldier was
killed
and one SLORC soldier was injured.

(No(5) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Baw Lo Der.
SLORC
casualties are unknown.

15.4.97

(No.(6) Brigade Area) At 0830 hours, KNLA troops attacked LIR (204) at
Akyu
village. SLORC casualties are unknown.
 
(No.(5) Brigade Area) Four clashes broke out between KNLA troops and
SLORC
troops at Baw Lay Der, Baw Lo Der, Wa Wah Kyo, Thee Kho Klo and Paw Thaw
Lo
Klo.

16.4.97

(No.(4) Brigade Area) A battle broke out between the KNLA troops and
SLORC
troops at Min Htaik. The battle lasted the whole day. SLORC casualties
are
unknown. 

(No.(6) Brigade Area) At 1643 hours, KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops
at Kya
Ka Wa. SLORC casualties are unknown. 

17.4.97

(No.(4) Brigade Area) A battle broke out between KNLA troops and SLORC
troops
at Ka Mar Plaw. SLORC casualties are unknown.

(No.(6) Brigade Area) At 1900 hours, SLORC troops stepped on two KNLA
mines
at Khaw Baw Lu. Two SLORC soldiers lost their legs.
                                      SLORC troops from Palu stepped on
a
KNLA mine. One SLORC soldier was killed, two SLORC soldiers were
seriously
injured. Including (1) Major. 

(No.(7) Brigade Area) At 1100 hours, SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine
at
Baw Tho Pu. One SLORC soldier lost his leg. 

18.4.97

(No(7) Brigade Area) At 1200 hours, a battle broke out between KNLA
troops
and LIR (549) at K'ser Klo village. SLORC casualties are unknown.

(No.(5) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Ta Lay Day
Kyo. At
the same day, SLORC troops stepped on  two KNLA mines at Plo Khee and
Saw Po
Hta. Two SLORC soldiers lost their legs.
                                      KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops
at Po
Ler village. One SLORC was killed, one SLORC soldier was injured and one
KNLA
soldier was injured. 

19.4.97

(No.(5) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Play Khee.
One
SLORC soldier lost his leg.

20.4.97

(No.(5) Brigade Area) KNLA troops attacked SLORC troops at Ta Nar Lu.
SLORC
casualties are unknown.

22.4.97

(No.(7) Brigade Area) A KNLA mine exploded at Pa Nwe Po Klar. Four SLORC
soldiers were injured.

23.4.97

(No.(7) Brigade Area) SLORC troops stepped on a KNLA mine at Maw Krae.
One
SLORC soldier lost his leg.


KNU Information Center.


KNLA = Karen National lieration Army
SLORC = State Law and Order Restoration Council
LIR = Light Infantry Regiment
 OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUATERS
                                           KAREN NATIONAL UNION
                                                   KAWTHOOLEI

                            KNU Statement On Current Situation In Burma

                                                                             
                            April 25, 1997

1. In the first week of December 1996, the anti-SLORC movement of the
college
and university students broke out and all the colleges and universities
have
to be closed down, up to the present day. On December 25, 1996 a bomb
exploded in the Kaba Aye Maha Pathana Cave. In February 1997, the SLORC
unilaterally broke off the dialogue with the KNU and started a massive
military offensive against the KNU and the Karen people, raining terror
death
and destruction on an extensive scale. Starting from March 16, 1997, an
anti-SLORC movement by the Buddhist monks broke out in Mandalay and in
the
brutal suppression of it, the SLORC killed three monks and put more than
100
monks under detention. Using its puppets, the members of the so-called
Union
Solidarity Development Association (USDA), the SLORC turned the incident
into
an anti-Muslim conflict in the whole of the country. On April 6, 1997, 
a
parcel bomb exploded in the house of the SLORC Secretary (2). The SLORC
issued various rules and orders restricting the people from freely
celebrating the water festival (Burmese New Year) falling in the middle
of
April 1997. Up until now, the SLORC has to reinforce the security for
Rangoon
with tanks and more troops. All these events do not indicate unity,
harmony,
peace and stability. On the other hand, they indicate increasing
dissatisfaction, discord and tension.

2. Tension has been increasing, as it is, in the country, because the
SLORC
has been using military offensive and brutal suppression to resolve
problems,
instead of resolving the basic political problems of the country by
political
means, through dialogue.

3. In connection with tension in the country, bomb attacks have occured
in
the capital city of Rangoon. It is a common knowledge that on such
occasions,
the SLORC levels its accusations and defamatory attacks at the KNU and
other
opposition groups. It is necessary for us to notice that, at the same
time as
making  defamatory attacks against the oppositions whenever bomb attacks
occur, the SLORC is arresting a large number of officers and men of its
own
armed forces.

4. It is important for the people at home and the international
community to
keep a careful watch on the situation, as there is the danger of the
SLORC,
using the prevailing instability as pretext, intesifying its devious
activities such as creating tension by refusing to resolve political
problems
by political means, terrorist attacks, arrests, increased repression of
political leaders, students, Buddhist monks and the people, and etc.

5. We, the KNU, have been resolutely resisting, in self-defence, the
offensive launched by the SLORC. The SLORC, while intensifying its war
against the KNU, has unleashed all the dirty tricks and revived up its
propaganda machine, making its utmost effort to paint the KNU as
terrorists.
Accordingly, we would like to affirm that we, the KNU, apart from
engaging
military activities to oppose the brutal offensive launched by the
SLORC,
will never engage in terrorist activities either inside the country or
abroad, and that all terrorist activities are the work of evildoers who
are
bent on complicating the situation. 

Central Executive Committee
Karen National Union