Mizzima News

Mae Sot (Mizzima) – A Karen National Liberation Army soldier was injured in a land mine explosion this afternoon as his unit made its way through dense jungle.

The pitched battle for the base camp entered the 10th day today. Wah Lay Kee camp, just across the Thai border, is home to the KNLA's 201st battallion of its sixth brigade region, to the south of the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

Today the Burmese Army and units from its allied militia, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, held back, after suffering heavy casualties from land mines and jungle booby traps during the past week.

From the high ground they shelled areas of the jungle around Wah Lay Kee in their relentless pursuit to eliminate small bands of KNLA guerilla fighters who have so far held off a major assault that could sound the death knell for its last major base in the sixth brigade region.

Colonel Nerdah Mya, eldest son of the late General Bo Mya, said heavy weaponry was used throughout the day.

More than five 81mm shells fell near KNLA troops, but they suffered no casualties. Troops of Burma's ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, also strafed areas with a .50 calibre machine gun.

Colonel Nerdah described the situation at the tenuous base camp as such: “They have high ground, we have high ground and in between we have guerilla fighters.

“There are a lot of booby traps and land mines. Wah Lay Kee is a real war zone.”

He said the SPDC was maintaining a base camp about five miles from Wah Lay Kee on high ground. Today it did not make deep forays into KNLA territory that have marked the past week.

“That's because of the casualties they've taken so far because of land mines,” he said.

Yesterday was relatively quiet around the camp, where there is no traditional front line, but rather a zone through which movement in any direction could be life threatening.

So far during this battle for the KNLA base camp seven soldiers from a combined SPDC/DKBA force have been killed and 33 wounded.

They took no casualties today.

One KNLA soldier has also been killed and, with today's incident, four injured since April 12.

The combined Burmese Army and DKBA force of about 250 men has used scores of mortars, both 60mm and 81mm.

On Tuesday afternoon at about 3 pm a commander at Wah Lay Kee said the latest bombardment had occurred about 25 minutes earlier and the situation “is not good, they are attacking us every day”.

The KNLA soldiers have long been expecting this push and have made preparations.

The whole area is teeming with booby traps and land mines and Karen National Union vice president David Thackrabaw confirmed a few days ago that the KNLA had been making its own Claymore directional mines, primarily a defensive weapon but deadly to a range of 250 metres.

KNLA troops were given fresh supplies this morning.

Crossing the border for either soldiers or refugees is at the moment almost impossible, the Thai Army having sealed the border with checkpoints surrounding nearby villages and regular patrols maintaining a close watch on vehicles.