Myanmar ethnic armed group moves into strategic northern town

Yangon: Fighters from Myanmar s most powerful ethnic minority armed group have moved into a strategic town fought over by the junta and another ethnic...

Yangon: Fighters from Myanmar's most powerful ethnic minority armed group have moved into a strategic town fought over by the junta and another ethnic armed group for weeks, they and the military said on Sunday.

Fighting has rocked Lashio in northern Shan state since early this month after the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) renewed an offensive against the military.

On Thursday the MNDAA claimed it had captured the town of around 150,000 people and the military's northeastern command there -- a claim denied by the junta.

On Saturday the United Wa State Army (UWSA) -- another ethnic minority armed group with greater manpower -- moved personnel into Lashio to "protect" its properties there, its spokesman told AFP.

The UWSA is the best-equipped of Myanmar's dozen or so ethnic rebel groups, with close ties to China, which analysts say supplies much of its weaponry.