The SSPP/SSA chairman Lt-Gen Pang Fa said: “We have been supported by our monks and people. That’s why we could survive till today. So, we will fight till we get equality to protect our people, culture, language, and religion. Whatever happens, we will never betray our people.”

There were about 1,500 soldiers, who performed military drills in front of about 4,000 people.

Lt-Gen Hso Ten said: “After Burma got independence, the ethnic nationalities did not have an army to defend themselves. As a consequence, the Burma Army has been oppressing, persecuting and abusing the ethnic people. That’s why, since 1949 the Karen started to take up arms, followed by the Mon and the Karenni. Later on, in 1958, the Shan started our revolution.”

He added that in accordance with the current political situation, they aimed to solve the political conflict by political means. “The SSA stand is for a genuine federal union based on equality and self-determination. The Burma Army, which represents only the Burmans, must be reformed into Federal Army so that the civil war can be ended and our country can catch up the world,” he said.

According to Lt-Gen Hso Ten, the SSPP/SSA has been able to expand to 8 brigades during the last three years after its former member brigades 3 and 7 split away, to become Border Guard Forces (BGF) as proposed by Naypyitaw.

Lt-Gen Hso Ten also said: “With the support from monks and people, we will fight to achieve our goal by upholding our Triple Gems: Party, Army and United Front.”

The SSA was established on April 24, 1964 by the merger of the Shan State Independence Army (SSIA), Shan National United Front (SNUF), Kokang Revolutionary Force (KRF), and Shanland United Army (SUA).

The SSPP/SSA signed a renewed ceasefire with Naypyitaw government in January 2012, but military tension and fighting has continued to take place.