The Burmese military junta has been told by the largest ethnic Kachin armed group in the country, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) that it wants to transform its armed-wing to a Kachin Regional Guard Force (KRGF), said local sources.
Transforming the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the armed-wing of the KIO to KRGF was officially proposed to the junta during the meeting between the junta's Northern Regional commander Maj-Gen Soe Win and KIO delegates in the Kachin State's capital Myitkyina on July 8 to 11, said KIO officials.
The eight-member KIO delegates were led by Vice-president No. 1 Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng, said KIO.
The three-day meeting took place at the Mali Hka Center Hall in the Northern Regional headquarters (Ma Pa Kha) in Myitkyina. Commander Soe Win was promoted to Maj-Gen from Brig-Gen early this month, said headquarter sources.
The KIO delegates said, the KIO's KRGF proposal to the junta is an alternative to the junta’s proposal of changing KIA to a Border Guard Force (BGF).
The junta-proposed BGF will be under the command of the junta's military chief of staff and each battalion has to include a number of military personnel from the Burmese Army. They will have to receive military training from the Burmese Army and all military rations and salaries are also to be provided by the junta. But the KIO-proposed KRGF will be totally dependant on self-command in all sectors, according to KIO officials.
The ruling junta is yet to reply to the KIO's proposal of the KRGF, said KIO officials in Laiza headquarters on the Sino-Burma border in Kachin State.
During last week’s meeting, KIO delegates invited the junta's Northern Regional Commander Maj-Gen Soe Win to hold the next meeting in the KIO's Laiza headquarters, added KIO officials.
In principle, the KIO accepts the junta's strategy of transition of armed-wings of on all ethnic ceasefire groups in the country. However, it has demanded that the junta resolve the issue through a series of negotiations.
At the moment, the KIO is the only Kachin armed group which has not accepted the junta’s proposal. Three other Kachin peace groups have accepted to transform their armed forces kow towing to the junta’s proposal. They are the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K) based in Kachin State to BGF; Lasang Awng Wa Peace Group based in Kachin State as a local militia group and Kachin Defense Army (KDA) based in northeast Shan State as a local militia group, respectively.
