The northern three Wa divisions are currently on standby and say they expect an attack from the government army in the coming days…

– Wai Moe, “Clouds of war move over Shan State”, The Irrawaddy, 2 September 2009.

Of all of the hundreds of news reports about the recent battles in the Shan State this is one of the best. It is well worth a look for anyone hoping to piece together what has happened over the past week and what some of the likely implications are.