A state-run newspaper in Myanmar said battles between government troops and Kachin ethnic rebels killed 31 people last week, AP reported. The New Light of Myanmar reported Friday 11 clashes had taken place in the last week of April. One involved an attack by the Kachin Independence Army on a government border guard base. The report said 29 were rebels, while government forces suffered two dead and 15 wounded. Spokesmen for the Kachin were unable to immediately comment on the report. The government had reached cease-fires with several ethnic rebel groups in recent months, but peace talks with the Kachin have failed to reach any agreement.
