Myanmar has renewed a state of emergency in a restive northern region bordering China, state media said today, extending army control over the area during crucial November elections.
Fierce fighting between troops and ethnic Chinese rebels erupted in February in the Kokang region of
Shan state, causing tens of thousands to flee their homes and angering Beijing when Myanmar’s air force dropped bombs in Chinese territory and killed several civilians. Kokang “remains unable to return to normalcy in terms of administration, peace and tranquillity and rule of law”, according to the state-backed New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
The report said the state of emergency, which began in <g data-gr-id="15">mid February</g> and expired on Monday, had been extended until November 17 by an order from the president’s office.
The area will remain under direct military control during crucial November 8 polls seen as a test of the country’s emergence from decades of junta rule. Sporadic civil wars have gripped Myanmar for some seven decades as militias in resource-rich and ethnically diverse border areas battled for greater autonomy.
Fighting has spiked in recent years, despite the efforts of a new quasi-civilian regime to ink a nationwide ceasefire, with major battles in northern Kachin and Shan states that have displaced tens of thousands.