Hundreds of teachers and healthcare staff who are serving under the Border Guard Force (BGF), formerly the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), are unsure when their salary will be paid in the new financial year, a staff member said.

The NDA-K which transformed into the BGF, under control of the Burmese military in 2009,  released members over 50 years-old and now they have ordered civilian teachers and healthcare staff to fill out a questionnaire with biographical information.

“They are demanding biographical data from teachers and healthcare staff, so we don’t know whether they will be considered legal government employees,” one of the staff said.

There are about 100 healthcare staff and 200 teachers working in the former NDA-K controlled area in the Pangwa Region in Burma’s northern Kachin State, close to the China border, whose salary has been paid in Chinese currency by NDA-K headquarters in Pangwa.

However, no one knows who will provide their salary in the new financial year from, April 2011- April 2012, the source said.

Employees did not receive salaries since early February and some staff and teachers have gone back to their homes.

“Around 10 teachers from Sagain, Magwe Division and from Yesagyo have gone back,” according to a resident.

The salaries for graduated teachers are Yuan 205 and undergraduate teachers are paid Yuan 165. There are about 10,000 students in the NDA-K controlled area, said a staff member working in education.

Zahkung Ting Ying, former NDA-K leader and now independent member of Burma's Nationalities Parliament (Amyotha Hluttaw), representing Sawlaw, Chipwi and N’Jang Yang Township was attending a meeting in Nawpyidaw when the rumor spread salaries might be unavailable for teachers.