Troops of the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), a Kachin ceasefire group, is being imparted military training by the Burmese Army since early October. This is the first step towards transforming into the Border Guard Force under the aegis of the Burmese Army, said NDA-K sources.

NDA-K soldiers, specially selected from different battalions are being imparted military training at No. 7 Military Higher Training School based in Pyindaung near Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, said NDA-K sources.

This is the first time in the group's 20-year old ceasefire history that the NDA-K, the former 101st Army Division of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), is being directly trained by the Burmese military, sources close to NDA-K said.

Half the number of Burmese soldiers in Infantry Battalion No. 236 based in Bhamo in Kachin State was shifted to the NDA-K's headquarters in Pangwah near the Sino-Burma border east of Kachin State over two weeks ago to help NDA-K transform to BGF.

Now in Pangwah, NDA-K’s transformation is underway. The NDA-K will be converted into three BGF battalions with around 900 NDA-K soldiers, and will have 30 per cent direct participation of Burmese soldiers, Pangwah sources said.

Each of the junta's BGF battalion will comprise a total of 326 soldiers. The majority -- 299 will be from the ethnic ceasefire groups and 27 soldiers will be from the Burmese Army.

The NDA-K, the second largest Kachin armed group and a splinter group of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) led by Zahkung Ting Ying accepted the junta-proposed BGF in June.

On October 16 the Lasang Awng Wa Peace Group, another unit which split from the KIO, based in Lawa Yang, 20 miles northeast of Myitkyina was officially converted to a local Kachin militia group known as "Lawa Yang Militia" with manpower of 60.

The militia group is now under the direct control of the Myitkyina-based Northern Regional Command (Ma-Pa-Kha) of the Burmese Army, said militia sources.

The conversion of the two Kachin ceasefire groups and their entry into the Burmese Army fold has impacted the KIO both in political and military terms. The KIO is now the sole Kachin ceasefire group which has rejected the junta-proposed BGF, said sources.

The KIO is now under tremendous military and political pressure from the junta to accept the Burmese Army-controlled BGF.