NDA-K Splinter Group Stormed Kampaiti
May 25, 2006

The Kachin Post

Soldiers loyal to Layawk Zelum, a leader of New Democratic Army-Kachin’s splinter group, stormed Kampaiti on Tuesday night, capturing soldiers loyal to Zahkung Ting Ying, according to the source closed to the group. Kampaiti is a border town in northern Burma and closed to Chinese border.

Shooting between the two groups had been broken out couple times in Kampaiti and Logwi, a village closed to Kampaiti. Several truck loads of soldiers from Burma Army being sent to Kampaiti yesterday.

Meanwhile, the situation is unclear that what is the reason behind the calsh. Analysts believed that the clash could have been the fresh attempt from Layawk Zelum, a former general secretary of NDA-K, to take control the Kampaiti area.

In September last year, Layawk Zelum and his associates took control NDA-K headquarters Pang Wa and purged its leader Zahkung Ting Ying. He was accused of controlling organization’s business for his own purpose and set up a personal security guard with Chinese mercenary soldiers. However, the deposed leader Zahkung Ting Ying recaptured Pang Wa within two weeks.

The incident in Kampaiti could be the 4th power struggle amongst NDA-K which founded in 1989 after making ceasefire agreement with Burma Army.