Myanmar officials deny report over army jet being shot down by rebels

Published on Thursday, 03 January 2013 17:10

BBC World News TV aired government’s fighter plane was shot down by KIA (Photo -BBC World News)

An official from Myanmar’s Presidential Office yesterday denied report that a fighter jet from the Myanmar Air Force was shot down amid clashes in the northern State of Kachin.

BBC World News TV channel aired helicopters and a fighter plane from the government’s Air Force flying over Kachin State yesterday morning. It also broadcast the firing of missiles by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

BBC then continued to air a video clip showing that the flying fighter plane was shot down by KIA and fell down burning. The video clip was made by Free Burma Rangers, a Myanmar-based humanitarian group.

The army has confirmed that the news about a fighter plane being shot down is fake, said Zaw Htay, director of the President’s Office in Nay Pyi Taw, yesterday evening.

KIA has also denied the report. “It is not true we managed to shoot down an army aircraft. We fired but could not reach the target as the plane was very high in the sky,” Kachin Independence Organisation spokesman La Nan said.

According to La Nan, two fighter jets from the army were firing over the areas of Laja Yan in the morning (January 2) and around noon, two army helicopters were also firing. But today there were only ground battles, he added.

Clashes between government army troops and KIA have escalated since December 25, and December alone saw about 140 small and large skirmishes in Kachin State.

According to an information officer from the rebel group, the army launched air offensives against KIA on December 28.