Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

August 30, 2003

A Mon rebel leader killed in a fighting with Burmese Army

On August 28, in a fighting between the Burmese Army and a Mon splinter group which named themselves as Mon National Warrior Army (MNWA) in southern part of Ye Township, Mon State, the rebel leader Nai Hlein was killed after the Burmese Army rounded his troops up.

MNWA has fought the central Rangoon government and Burmese Army as a small local militia force in the area since 1998 and the leader Nai Hlein, his wife and two soldiers were killed in Mi-htaw-hla village, where is the conflict zone in the southern part of Ye Township.

Nai Hlein was about 50 years old and was also a veteran soldier when the Burma’s former Prime Minister U Nu led ‘People Patriotic Party’ revolutionary force fought Gen. Ne Win’s socialist government during 1970s. In 1997 after the New Mon State Party ceasefire, he left from the party and cooperated with his young brother and started fighting against Burmese Army. Later they gave their army name as MNWA. But they did not form a political party, but have acted as local militia force.

In 2001, they also cooperated with the new splinter group, Hongsawatoi Restoration Party (HRP) to fight against the government.

In 2002, when almost members of HRP returned mother party, NMSP, Nai Hlein and his group went back to southern part of Ye Township and continued fighting against the Burmese Army as before. The number of their troops have increased to 100 troops and they divided into four columns and fight the Burmese Army in areas southern part of Mon State and northern part of Tenasserim Division.

Due to serious human rights violations and large land confiscation in Ye Township, although they got some supports from the Mon people, on the other hand, the group also kidnapped the civilians and asked money by force.

Recently, the Burmese Army deployed large number of troops in southern part of Ye Township and have operated offensives to uproot this rebel force. The local farmers are totally restricted to not go and work in their farms. Many hundreds of displaced persons also fled from this area because of conflict.

Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

September 3, 2003

(News Correction) Mon splinter leader Nai Hlein still survive

After a serious fighting with troops of LIB No. 282, the Mon splinter group (MNWA) leader Nai Hlein was not killed, but he got serious injuries, accordingly to the latest confirmation.

First the local source thought and informed that he was killed in the fighting as he got serious injury. Therefore, the news release went out with wrong information on August 30.

Yesterday, it was confirmed from another source that he was not killed in the fighting, but got serious injury.

The Burmese Army has launched intensive military offensives against the Mon splinter group in the southern part of Ye Township area.

The Mon civilians are prohibited to not travel outside of their villages and go to their farms. The displaced persons also fled to Mon refugee resettlement areas, said by the Mon relief source.

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APOLOGY

IMNA would like to apologize to readers for the wrong news released on August 30, 2003.  As we have some difficult communition to Mon State, we made this mistake.  Please forgive us. 

Editor, IMNA