There was no outcome at the meeting between Wa representatives and Lt. Gen. Ye Myint last Saturday but the Wa Army wants the Burmese Army to leave its territories.
"Our leaders have already scaled down their demands. But the junta continues to mount pressure for transforming Wa to a Border Guard Force with three battalions. We cannot accept it. The Wa has already accepted three officers of the Burmese Army to work in Pang Sang but the junta is adamant on BGF," a Wa soldier from Pang Sang said on condition of anonymity.
At a meeting in Tang Yang on November 14, Lt. Gen. Ye Myint said "If you don't accept the retirement age of 50, it can be extended to 60 years. But you have to submit a list of soldiers and weapons by November 22. The Wa Army must be totally transformed to the Border Guard Force by December."
The Wa Army accepted three officers from the Burmese Army to work in Pang Sang for transformation to the BGF. The Wa, however, could not accept the other demands. The Wa wanted the Burmese Army camps to be shifted from Pang Wai, Nar Phang and Met Mann Township. The demand was not from Wa alone but also from the Mueng Lar group. Wa and Mueng Lar group have a common goal, a Tang Yang local said.
According to an analyst on Wa and Burmese Army relations in Northern Shan State "The Wa Army has cut down on its demands on many fronts at the meeting because the Chinese government wanted it to be so. The junta did not accept the proposal of Wa and other ethnic groups in the National Convention. Now the regime is pressing for whatever it wants but is not considering the demand of the other side making things worse. Wa's demand to shift the Burmese Army based in Maw Pha is a tit for tat response."
The Wa Army is the second strongest after the Burmese Army and has 30,000 soldiers. If Wa transforms to BGF, there will be only three battalions with 320 troops, including 30 officials from the Burmese Army. So the Wa is not willing to accept the proposal.