Myanmar army attacks Kokang base as Chinese President arrives

19 January 2020
Myanmar army attacks Kokang base as Chinese President arrives
(File) Military truck loaded soldier passes along a deserted road at self-administered Kokang capital Laukkai, northern Shan State, Myanmar, 17 February 2015. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA

On the day that Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Myanmar, the Myanmar military launched an attack on an ethnic Kokang army base on the Myanmar-China border, killing one soldier, according to a report from the Kachin News Group.

The attack by the Myanmar Light Infantry Battalion 364, under Light Infantry Division 66, occurred at around 6:00 a.m. on Friday morning, according to local sources.

The target was a base belonging to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in the Hpawng Seng area of Muse Township, northern Shan State, the report says.

Chinese President Xi arrived in Naypyidaw on Friday on his first visit to the country in more than 10 years. He signed a number of agreements for Chinese investment projects in Myanmar, including projects proposed in conflict areas.