NAYPYITAW- Despite requests from Shan Monks, Shan Political parties and Civic and Social Organizations to ethnic armed groups  to stop the fighting,  battles had escalated again between two rival Shan ethnic armed groups: Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) in northern Shan State.

The RCSS attacked the SSPP near Tarlon village, Hsipaw Township, northern Shan State on January 22nd, according to the SSPP Info News which is the Facebook Account of SSPP’s Information Department.

“When we announced the days to hold the meeting, the southern ethnic armed group attacked us. We sent a letter to the Hsipaw Education Officer on January 22nd urging to reopen the temporarily closed school. We are going to monitor the current condition what will be happened,” said SSPP’s spokesperson Col. Sai Phon Han.

RCSS and SSPP agreed to build the mutual trust in each other, not to trespass on other region, to withdraw the trespass and to carry out unity in the Shan State. However, the RCSS ignored the agreement, according to the SSPP’s announcement issued on January 18th.

The SSPP announcement reported that although there had been fighting between RCSS and SSPP, the SSPP would seek the solutions about the ceasefire after following the public request.