Read coverage of this topic in Burmese.
Junta soldiers opened fire at a Chinese convoy of passenger vehicles carrying emergency supplies in northern Myanmar, the military chief admitted on Wednesday.
A nine-vehicle convoy with the Red Cross Society of China was travelling with supplies on Tuesday near Shan state’s Nawnghkio township when soldiers shot at them, said the junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun, as cited by Myanmar’s state-owned media.
The convoy was part of international rescue and aid efforts in response to the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday, which has claimed more than 2,800 lives and left 4.600 injured, with figures expected to rise.
“There’s a security group near Ohmati village that was blocking the convoy,” he said. “From a distance of 100 meters, he pointed toward the sky and fired three shots.”
There were no injuries to the passengers or damage to their supplies, the spokesperson said, adding that the soldiers had not been informed about the convoy and that further investigations would be conducted.
The Chinese embassy in Yangon has not responded to Radio Free Asia’s request for comment.
Ming Aung Hlaing’s remarks came after the anti-junta force Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, reported the incident, saying that the envoy would be escorted to Mandalay by their soldiers from that point forward.
Separately, TNLA, alongside three other allied groups, including the Arakan Army, declared a unilateral ceasefire to facilitate international humanitarian efforts.
The ceasefire, announced on Tuesday, is set to last for one month, during which the alliance pledged to refrain from offensive operations, engaging only in self-defense if necessary.
Similarly, the exiled civilian National Unity Government, comprised of members of the civilian administration ousted in a 2021 coup, declared a ceasefire shortly after the disaster.
But the junta rejected these proposals, with its chief accusing ethnic armed organizations of using the pause to regroup and conduct military training.
Responding to reports and witness accounts that the military continued operations – including airstrikes – that disrupted rescue efforts, the junta chief claimed they were only targeting “terrorist activities” by armed groups.
“Tatmadaw has not launched any attacks on the camps of ethnic armed groups but has only responded when attacked,” Min Aung Hlaing said, referring to the junta’s military. “The government has continuously kept the door open to meet and discuss with all ethnic armed organizations to make effective peace efforts.”
Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Taejun Kang.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.