Myanmar rebel leader arrives in China for medical care

(CLO) On November 19, Chinese authorities said that a Myanmar rebel leader had come to China for "medical care".

Earlier, local Myanmar media reported that Chinese authorities had arrested Peng Deren, head of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), one of the most important rebel groups in the country.

At a regular meeting on November 19, when asked about the above information, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Peng "previously applied to come to China for medical care and is currently undergoing treatment and recovery."

Peng Deren is a private person, often refusing media interviews.

Smoke rises after an airstrike by the Myanmar military in Lashio, Shan State, northern Myanmar, September 24. Photo: AFP

The MNDAA is one of dozens of rebel groups in Myanmar that have fought the military for decades for secession and control of lucrative resources including jade, timber and opium.

The head of Myanmar's current military government, Min Aung Hlaing, commanded the Myanmar army to push the MNDAA out of Laukkai, a town in Shan state, in 2009.

The area borders China's Yunnan province and is a key part of Beijing's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

In January last year, the MNDAA recaptured Laukkai after more than 2,000 government troops surrendered there, one of the biggest defeats for the Myanmar military in decades.

In August, the MNDAA went further, capturing the city of Lashio, the largest urban center to fall to any ethnic armed group in Myanmar since the military first seized power in 1962.

Ngoc Anh (according to AFP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thu-linh-phien-quan-myanmar-den-trung-quoc-cham-soc-y-te-post322124.html