In a major development, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the largest ethnic Kachin ceasefire group in Burma's northern Kachin State has been officially told by the Burmese military junta at a meeting to transform to a border security force, said KIA sources.
The KIA was informed of this by the regime's Northern commander Brig-Gen Soe Win when he summoned them to a meeting with delegates of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its armed-wing KIA led by Vice-President I Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng on April 28 in the Northern Command Headquarters (Ma Pa Kha) based in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, said KIO/A officials.
KIO/A delegates said the meeting mainly discussed the change over by the KIA and its political-wing the KIO. Commander Brig-Gen Soe Win suggested that it can form a political party to contest the 2010 elections.
At the meeting, the KIO/A delegates told the commander Brig-Gen Soe Win that they could not promise anything on the future transformation of KIO and KIA without discussions within the organizations and with the public, according to Dr. Manam Tu Ja, the KIO/A vice-president II and chairman of Kachin State Interim Committee.
The KIO/A and Burmese military delegates will meet again on May 20 in Myitkyina. Meanwhile the KIO/A will hold a series of urgent central committee meetings on the issue in Laiza headquarters on the Sino-Burma border before the second meeting with the junta, said KIO/A officials.
The KIO/A is mother of three smaller Kachin peace groups---the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) led by Zahkung Ting Ying and Lasang Awng Wa Peace Group led by Lasang Awng Wa in Kachin State and Kachin Defense Army (KDA) led by Mahtu Naw in Northeast Shan State.
The KIO/A is currently based in both Kachin State and Northeast Shan State with over 20,000 men and women in service, according to insiders.
The KIO/A signed a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military junta on February 24, 1994 with high hopes of solving the political imbroglio by political means.
The Burmese military officials also met NDA-K, KDA and other ethnic ceasefire groups in Shan State regarding transformation of their armed groups, said local sources.
