The Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ s Hsengkeow headquarters force in Shan State North’s Hsipaw township, that accepted Naypyitaw’s home guard force programme, was officially named as Hsengkeow Home Guard Force (HGF) on Sunday 25 April, to be run by the Burmese Army.

The ceremony was presided over by the Deputy Commander of Northeastern Region Command based in Lashio, according to a source from the headquarters. “Militia member cards and badges were also issued on the same day.”

Due to Naypyitaw’s constant pressure, the faction agreed to comply with the junta’s demand that requires 900 to 1,000 of their men to form three home guard battalions on 22 April when its chairman Maj-Gen Loimao with 12 other top leaders met Maj-Gen Aung Than Tut, Commander of the Burma Army’s Northeastern Region Command at the Lashio headquarters.

The faction is 200 strong, including 100 members from its 3rd Brigade commanded by Colonel Hla Myint. Many, who are not in agreement with the programme, were said to be leaving to join the 1st Brigade.

The SSA-N has three brigades (1, 3 and 7), one border force and one HQ Security Force. The 1st Brigade is based in Wanhai, Kehsi township, Shan State South, under the command of Maj-Gen Parngfa; Brigade No.3 is in Mongkhurh, Mongyai township, Shan State North, under the command of Maj-Gen  Loimao; Brigade No.7 is in Kali, Hsipaw township, Shan State North and is led by Maj-Gen Gaifa. Its supreme leader Maj Gen Hso Ten is serving a 106 year jail sentence in Khamti.

Among them, the 1st Brigade is the strongest with approximately 2,500 fully armed men, and is the group that did not agree with it’s headquarter to transform into a junta run force.

The second strongest brigade is the Brigade No.7. The Deputy Commander of the Eastern Command reportedly visited the group’s 7th Brigade during this week in order to lobby them to follow their headquarters, a reliable source from Kali told SHAN.

“But its leader Maj-Gen Gaifa is reported to have been on a trip,” he said.

A senior officer from the headquarters clarified that the group will never break up into two factions even though its headquarters has been changed. “We will remain the same as before.”  

According to the military junta’s announcement, 22 April was the latest deadline for all ceasefire groups to give their consent on the border guard force (BGF) proposal. Nevertheless, there are still three other groups that are yet to respond to the programme even though the deadline has passed. The groups are the United Wa State Army, Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) known as Mongla group.

During the middle of the month, the groups including the SSA-North were said to have met at an undisclosed place, near Panghsang the Wa capital. They reached an agreement to form a Command Control, and Communications Center for their joint defence, according to an informed source from the Sino-Burma border.

The 1st Brigade will stick to the four party agreements, it says.