Recent public meetings by the National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS) popularly known as Mongla, suggests it  is still opting to maintain the status quo of its force except in name, according to reliable sources on the Thai-Burma border.

The meetings reportedly concluded yesterday,  discussed junta’s negotiator Chief of Military Affairs Security (MAS) Lt-Gen Ye Myint’s “advice” on 28 October to resign itself as the 326 strong units, nominally commanded by their own officers but essentially run by 30 Burmese Army officers.

The meetings passed a resolution to present the following six-point proposal to Naypyitaw:

• No junta officers within the ranks at least during the trial period
• No military trainings outside the Mongla territory
• Not to discharge members over 50
• To keep Hsaleu and Nampan inside Mongla territory as it is (Naypyitaw has placed Hsaleu inside Mongyang township and Nampan inside Mongyawng township)
• Not to bring junta civil administrative apparatus to Mongla as yet
• To maintain the Mongla administrative apparatus

In March, when the group met Ye Myint in Kengtung, it was told that after the group transformed itself to the Border Guard Force, officers would be chosen by the Burmese Army to attend trainings. And trainees, who don’t pass medical checkup and trainees over 50 will be made to retire from service. Each would be paid Kyat 30,000 (US$ 30) as compensation. Selected trainees will be sent to training centers in Bahtoo, Southern Shan State.

The Burmese Army had designated Kengtung, the capital of Shan State East, Tangyan, a town 83-miles south of Lashio, Shan State North and Bahtoo, Shan State South as training centers.

“The people had not objected to changing the name to BGF,” said a businessman, who travels between the Thai and Chinese border. “The problem is the junta is not listening to any suggestions.”

Nevertheless, the proposal will be resubmitted to Lt-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, Commander of Shan State,” said another source.

He is expected to visit Mongla tomorrow, he said.

“To become the BGF means we will be buried alive, which is worse than surrender,” the source quoted a senior officer as saying.

The non-ceasefire Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’ had also expressed that accepting the border guard force proposal would be worse than surrender, according to a  Burmese language report by Kantarawaddy Times yesterday.

“If they [ceasefire groups] surrender, they will only lose their weapons, not their men. If they accept the BGFs, they will lose both weapons and men. They just have to remain under the junta’s command forever,” SSA spokesman Sai Hseng Merng told Kantarawaddy Times.

The top leaders of Mongla and its ally the United Wa State Army (UWSA) are expected to meet soon. To date, the UWSA stands firm on its rejection of the BGF proposal until an elected government is formed.