Lieutenant General Yawd Serk the chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) recently met U Aung Kham Hti chairman of the Paoh National Organization (PNO).
They met during Lt. Gen. Yawd Serk’s tour to visit residents of Taunggyi district on 17 February.
Khun Kham, a Paoh youth who followed the tour said: “We are glad to see a Shan leader who wears Paoh traditional dress and visits our area. Our leader, U Aung Kham Hti seems to be glad too. He said to U Yawd Serk that you [U Yawd Serk] are still young and polite. So let’s work together for the causes of Shan State and Union affairs. Also, I hope you become the leader of Shan State.”
Lt. Gen. Yawd Serk arrived in Taunggyi City on 14 February and his group visited the Paoh Self-Administered Zone on 17 February where they were accompanied by Khun San Lwin the administrator of the Paoh self-administrated zone. They also visited the home of U Aung Kham Hti in Kyauk Ta Lone Township.
Sao Pin Kham, an RCSS/SSA adviser said that the PNO group would go together with Lt. Gen. Yawd Serk’s group, to assist them if required, when they go to Thikyit-Pinloung area on 18 February and the Panlon area on 19 February.
This is Lt Gen. Yawd Serk’s second tour of Shan State.
The U Aung Kham Hti and Khun San Lwin led people’s militia force, the PNO is one of several Paoh groups. Previously it had been a Paoh ethnic armed group and political party fighting the government before it signed a ceasefire with the government and transformed itself into a people’s militia in 1991.
When that happened the Paoh National Liberation Organisation (PNLO) split off from the PNO and continued to fight the government until it signed a ceasefire agreement with the government on 25 August 2012. That group is led by Khun Okkar, Khun Myint Tun, Khun Ti Saung and Khun Thurein.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
