In what could snowball into an ugly situation, members of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the second strongest ethnic armed group in Burma, determined not to comply, rejected the military junta’s order to surrender arms on the first day of its Party Congress today, said KIO sources.

The junta’s order to the KIO’s armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to give up arms, was rejected outright by about 200 participants at the Party Congress, which started this morning in Alen Bum Military Headquarters in Laiza, the capital of KIO on the Sino-Burma border, northern Burma, said those attending the Congress.

“The KIO clearly rejects the arms surrender plan and it will consider it after the political imbroglio between the KIO and majority Burman-led military regime is resolved,” they said.

It was also pointedly stated that the ongoing Party Congress was not entirely concerned with the junta-conducted November 7 general elections. The KIO will not participate in the electoral process nor oppose it.

At noon, around the same time that the Congress rejected the junta’s order to disarm, the KIO alerted troops of the KIA in the KIO/KIA territories in Kachin State and Northeast Shan State, said KIA officials.  A high alert has been sounded and all the roads to Laiza from outside are being tightly guarded by KIA soldiers, travelers said.

At a meeting on Sunday, August 22, KIO delegates were ordered by Lt-Gen Ye Myint, Chief of Military Affairs Security (MAS) of the junta to “surrender weapons” as of September 1. The two sides met at the Northern Regional Command based in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, said KIO officials.

Lt-Gen Ye Myint warned that the KIO would have to face the Burmese Army’s wrath in an onslaught if it refused to surrender, added KIO officials.

KIO officials in Laiza, however maintained that it will not start a civil war first, despite being warned of an offensive by the junta.

Local Kachin political analysts said the junta maybe playing a game to start a military offensive against the KIO and other ethnic ceasefire groups to postpone or cancel the ensuing elections, which will not be contested by political parties except those sponsored by the junta.

The KIO Party Congress, to be held over a number of days will debate and take forward the changing political stance of the KIO with the junta and the new government to come to power after the elections. The decision of the Party Congress will be announced after it is wrapped up, said KIO officials.