Mai Ja Yang, May (30)
The powerful ethnic armed forces – the Kachin Independence Organization/Kachin Independence Army (KIO/KIA) and Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army, vowed on May 28 to work together to end the military dictatorship.
The representatives of the KIA and TNLA met on May 16 and 17 in Mai Ja Yang, Kachin State, where the KIA headquarters is located, and reached an agreement to proceed with mutual understanding.
The two groups agreed to work together to overthrow the dictatorship and to continue upholding the eternal alliance treaty that they had previously agreed upon.
Colonel Naw Bu, the head of information for the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), told Than Lwin Times that both parties intend to work together where they should while working to end the military dictatorship nationwide.
The (KIO/KIA) and (PSLF/TNLA) have been providing military training in their territories to the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), which sprang up after the latest military coup in Myanmar in 2021.
On the other hand, the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) along with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are also fighting on the ground with the junta forces to root out the military dictatorship in Kachin State and the adjacent Sagaing Region.
Veteran politician U Pe Than pointed out that if other ethnic armed groups make similar announcements, such as the KIA and TNLA, the Spring Revolution will gain more momentum.
The KIA and TNLA are members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), which includes seven ethnic armed groups, and the TNLA is also a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which works together with the Arakan Army (AA), MNDAA-Kokang in military and political activities.
Than Lwin Times attempted to contact TNLA’s press and information officer, Col. Maing Aik Kyaw, who released a joint statement with the KIA about the end of the dictatorship, but received no answer.
The discussions between the representatives of the two groups came after there were military tensions between the ground troops in some border areas of Kachin and Shan States, where the KIA and TNLA are active.
They agreed at the meeting to take responsibility for the safety of the local people, including the Kachin, Ta’ang (Palaung) and Shan people, and to avoid burdensome actions.
In addition, it has been announced that the two sides will coordinate as necessary on the basis of national equality to live together in a friendly manner and on anti-narcotics activities and other necessary issues.
News – Than Lwin Times
Photo: KIA/TNLA
Thanlwintimes