Christian anti-drug force Pat Jasan said they were attacked this morning, just days after the group resolved a standoff with authorities in the area who said they were worried about violent confrontations.
“They were attacked with fully loaded weapons such as guns and grenades,” U Tan Gun, a spokesman for Pat Jasan, told DVB TV news. “It was said that 14 of our people were injured. Police are together with us for security.”
It is unclear who was behind the confrontation, with reports citing border guards and an owner of an opium farm. It was also unclear if the attack was a single incident or happened in two separate places in the same area.
Founded by the Kachin Baptist Convention, Pat Jasan has taken on the drug trade and associated abuse through violent methods, using machetes to hack down poppy fields and flogging drug offenders in public.
They have taken matters into their own hands, but could get outside help soon, with lawmakers in parliament this week discussing an idea to support the group’s mission.
Myanmar is the second-largest producer of opium after Afghanistan, according to the UN, which has unsuccessfuly tried to introduce crop replacement programs.
About a week ago Pat Jasan was stopped by authorities in Kachin but allowed to continue two days ago on after negotiations.
