By Kyaw Lynn

LASHIO, MYANMAR (DPA) — Sheltering at Man Su Buddhist monastery in north-eastern Myanmar, Mu Mu San and eight other women as well as two children are waiting for relatives they left behind.

The monastery in Lashio town in Shan state is serving as a temporary shelter for people fleeing violence near the Myanmar-China border, some 130 kilometres away.

Volunteers of Myanmar's Red Cross organisation carry a wounded volunteer Moe Kyaw, 45, near self-administered Kokang capital Laukkai, northern Shan State, Myanmar, 17 February 2015. EPA/LYNN BO BO

"My husband and three relatives are still on the way and we haven't get any news of them," said Mu Mu San, 32, who fled from Laukkai, the capital of the self-administered Kokang region, which has been the focus of heavy fighting between government troops and rebels.

"Rescue trucks are full of war victims. So they prioritize children and women, so I left my husband and relatives there," said Mu Mu San.

The convoy carrying war victims, including Mu Mu San, was shot at by Kokang rebels during the drive away from the border. Two Myanmar Red Cross volunteers were wounded.

Mu Mu San's group are among thousands who fled Laukkai after fighting erupted 10 days ago.

President Thein Sein Tuesday declared a state of emergency and imposed martial law in Kokang, with dozens of soldiers and rebels killed in the past fortnight.

At least one civilian died in an ambush by the rebels Tuesday as residents fled to Lashio town further away from the Chinese border to avoid the violence.

A wounded Red Cross volunteer lies on the ground after vehicles of a rescue convoy were attacked by Kokang rebels near self-administered Kokang capital Laukkai, northern Shan State, Myanmar, 17 February 2015. EPA/LYNN BO BO

The rebels, formally known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), are led by Pheung Kya-shin, an 84-year-old fighter of Chinese descent.

"We will keep fighting the Myanmar government until Kokang is recovered," Pheung – who speaks Mandarin with a Yunnan accent – told Chinese media in December, his first interview in 5 years.

The MNDAA controlled the Kokang region between 1989 and 2009.

Myanmar's army seized the area in 2009 in the wake of a failed peace deal, according to which the rebels were to reform into a border guard force under the control of the military.

Pheung Kya-shin refused to bargain, and he and other leaders fled to Thailand.

His rekindled fight against the government has been taken up by at least two other ethnic rebel groups.

"We are in alliance. So we must join them in fighting against the government. Otherwise, the next time it will be us," said Tar Parn La, a spokesman for the Ta'ang National Liberation Army.

Myanmar citizens are seen awaiting rescue teams to flee from self-administered Kokang capital Laukkai, northern Shan State, Myanmar, 17 February 2015. Thousands of people living around Laukkai have fled as clashes continue in the area. EPA/LYNN BO BO

Not all rebel groups in Shan state are joining the Kokang fighting, however. The powerful United Wa State Army (UWSA), which has been in talks with the government over its nationwide peace deal, has said they have no reason to help the Kokang rebels because they want peace and stability in the region.

Authorities say the fighting has been prolonged by the involvement of the TNLA and Arakan Army, both of which are fighting government forces in other areas of Shan and in northern Kachin state.

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday warned the rebel groups that joining the Kokang rebels would be a declaration of war, state media reported. "They have to take responsibility for it," he was quoted as saying.

The country's giant neighbour China adds another dimension to the violence.

More than 30,000 residents have fled to China's north-western province of Yunnan since February 9, according to Yunnan's Lincang City authorities.

Myanmar authorities meanwhile say Kokang rebels entered Myanmar from China.

Beyond the Chinese ancestral link to the MNDAA leadership, Beijing denies any ties to the rebels. It says it respects Myanmar's "territorial integrity" and would not allow organizations or individuals to undermine stability in the border areas.

A Buddhist monk and war victims fleeing from Laukkai takes cover after vehicles of the Red Cross rescue convoy were attacked by Kokang rebels near self-administered Kokang capital Laukkai, northern Shan State, Myanmar, 17 February 2015. EPA/LYNN BO BO​

Myanmar state-run media has offered an alternative explanation for the fighting, reporting that the army launched its operation last week after MNDAA rebels seized weapons from a local militia.

Whatever sparked the violence, the timing is such that a long-sought peace deal between the government and the country's myriad ethnic groups could be under threat.

One of the signatories says the Kokang rebels were not invited to take part, leading them to gain power in other ways.

"We are worrying it may impact on the ongoing peace process," said Padoh Mahn Nyein Maung, a central committee member of powerful Karen National Union, representing another ethnic group.

"They demanded that the government accept them as a group in signing the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord, but government didn't accept it. So, the fighting starts," he said.

"What else can we do other than fight them to retake our region?" said Kokang rebel spokesman Htun Myat Linn. 

By Cod Satrusayang

BANGKOK (DPA) — Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was to be indicted Thursday on criminal charges stemming from her government's rice subsidy scheme, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said.

Yingluck faces charges of dereliction of duty over corruption within the scheme, OAG spokesman Kosolwat Inthujanyong told reporters.

If found guilty, she could face up to 10 years in prison.

Sources inside her former party suggested Yingluck would not attend the hearing.

The former premier has already been impeached by the military-appointed legislature over the same charges and banned from politics for five years.

Yingluck has denied all charges against her.

"I've never cheated anybody," she said during the impeachment proceedings.

She argued that the hearings were politically motivated and that she cannot be impeached as she was no longer in office.

Yingluck was removed from office in May 2014 by the Constitutional Court after months of street demonstrations, including by farmers who had not been paid under the rice scheme.

The rest of her government was ousted later that month by a military coup that installed the current legislature and cabinet.

BEIJING (DPA) — Chinese state media Wednesday highlighted the bad behaviour of foreign tourists as hundreds of millions of locals began travelling home or on holiday for the Chinese New Year holiday.

Chinese tourists have increasingly come under fire in recent years for their behaviour abroad.

"It's been said that Chinese people can be uncivilised. In fact, it also applies to many foreigners," said People's Daily Online, the website for the government's official newspaper. "Our website has combed through a number of examples of uncivilised behaviour by foreign tourists. Let's not learn from them. Ha!"

The article showed photos and examples of foreigners misbehaving, such as those who have posed nude outside tourist sites, stepped on monuments, camped on China's Great Wall – which is prohibited – and taken up too much space on public benches. 

An accompanying graphic provided Chinese readers with guidelines on civilized travel. These included avoiding writing "I have visited here" on landmarks, cutting queues and snapping their fingers to get people's attention. 

The rude antics of some Chinese tourists have embarrassed many in the country, and sparked debate about how the government could discourage bad behaviour. 

In the worst incident in recent months, a flight attendant on an AirAsia flight was scalded in December after noodles in hot water were flung at her by a Chinese tourist, who was angry about not getting a receipt for her purchase.

The tourist was accompanied by three others, one of whom later threatened to blow up the aircraft because the group of four could not be seated together.

China will establish a public record of Chinese tourists who behave badly in foreign countries, state media reported last month.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China is also considering blacklisting and punishing unruly airline passengers, according to the China News Service. 

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the new goat year begins on February 19, the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.  

KRABI — Two artists have come under fire for cutting down a 143-old tree in Krabi province for an art installation.

Katsumi Mukai, a Japanese wood sculptor, and Kamol Thassanachalee, a well-known Thai artist, drew heavy criticism after photos of the felled tree in Krabi began circulating on social media.

Katsumi Mukai (L) cutting down a tree in Krabi province. [Photo:Akradej Chakjinda]

“I’m really feeling down hearing that trees were cut for an artist to create artwork,” Suchart Sawatsri, another famous Thai artist and writer, said in response to the photos. “I am really disgusted by what he’s done.” 

According to the Mayor of Krabi province, the owner of the land where the tree stood gave the artists permission to cut it down for their sculpture exhibition at Krabi's Andaman Art Gallery.

Trees carved for Mukai's sculpture show in Krabi [Photo:Akradej Chakjinda].

Mukai has visited Thailand on many times and was an “Artist-In-Residence” at Khon Kaen University for two months. In 2005 he carved a giant rain tree in Malaysia into a popular outdoor sculpture in George Town called the “Winds of Penang.”