AN ethnic minority armed group battled junta troops in a ruby and gem-mining hub, the group and the junta said, with reports of civilian casualties in shelling and air strikes.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched attacks on junta troops this week in the Mandalay region and neighbouring Shan State, shattering a ceasefire brokered by China in January.
Its fighters were inside Mogok, a town surrounded by hills rich with rubies, sapphires, spinel, aquamarine and other semi-precious stones, said Gen Tar Bhone Kyaw, without giving details.
“We are having fighting in Mogok town,” said junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun.
“Security forces have been working to get control of the region.”
Mogok residents said the town had been hit by artillery shelling and airstrikes by military planes since fighting in the area started on Tuesday.
“As far as I know, four people including two women were killed yesterday because of artillery shelling,” said a 57-year-old Mogok resident, who did not want to be named.
He said he and his family were sheltering elsewhere after the roof of their home was damaged in an air strike.
“We have no experience like this. It’s the first-ever serious fighting in Mogok town,” he said.
Myanmar produces much of the world’s rubies and top-quality stones from Mogok – known as “pigeon’s blood” for their deep red colour – can fetch more per carat than diamonds.
The industry is notoriously opaque, with high-value rubies often smuggled over the border into Thailand or China to be sold directly to private buyers or made into jewellery. — AFP
