The Burmese military junta has set 28 April as yet another deadline for the Special Region #4, the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA-ESS) better known as Mongla group, to respond on the border guard force (BGF) proposal, sources close to the NDAA leadership said.
The deadline was delivered by chief of Military Affairs Security (MAS) Lt-Gen Ye Myint on March 29, when he and 10 representatives of the NDAA met in the Kengtung headquarters.
The meeting was attended by both Lt-Gen Ye Myint and Maj-Gen Kyaw Phyoe, Commander of Kengtung based Triangle Region Command, Sao Hsang Luu, Vice Chairman of NDAA, Kham Mawng, Deputy Chief-of-Staff and Sai Soe Win, Liaison Officer in Kengtung were present at the meeting called by Ye Myint.
Lt-Gen Ye Myint warned the group that if it did not transform itself into the junta run border guard force by the deadline, it would become an illegal organization like it used to be before 1989. It was the year that the Burmese Army and the main ethnic armed groups concluded ceasefire agreements.
“This time he did not say there would be an offensive if the group rejected (the program),” a source said.
“It’s up to you whether your group will accept our proposal or not. We are now giving you a choice to decide for your future,” the source quoted Ye Myint as saying. “The group was not allowed to say anything.”
According to Ye Myint, April 28 will really be the latest deadline for the group. The junta military’s deadline has been extended five times including the latest one. The first was in October 2009, the second in December 2009, the third in February 2010 and the fourth 10 March.
In the meantime, the area commander of Mongkhark was reportedly making inspections around Mongyang facing Hsalue, regarded as Mongla’s strongest brigades on the same day. Because of the movement, some local villagers have reportedly fled to nearby towns like Kengtung, Tangyan and Chinese border towns thinking it as a forerunner of war, a local resident in Mongyang said.
Another local source who knows well about the areas says if there is going to be fighting; it will only be a small operation, not a major one. Nevertheless, it is hard to say whether the military junta will launch offensives against Wa and Mongla. “If the junta is really serious, it would not have extended the deadline again and again.”
Lt-Gen Ye Myint is scheduled to meet the United Wa State Army (UWSA) on 1 April. But no venue and date has been set up, another source from Wa territory.
At the same time, Tangyan based battalions were reportedly ordered to stop all cargo trucks going in and out of Panghsang, capital town of the Wa State and not to allow any trucks to cross the Salween anymore. Similar action has also been taken against the UWSA’s 171st Military Region along the Thai-Burma border, said a source from the border.
A senior Wa officer said, the action did not have impact on their people because the food that Panghsang people consume comes from China.
A few days ago, over 30 junta personnel, who were ordered to leave Panghsang last week were reported to have returned, but the Wa authorities refused to allow the team to stay. The team then returned to Kengtung on that day.
