Two policemen suspected to be Burmese military junta spies were arrested by Wa officials last week in Mongphen in the United Wa State Army (UWSA) territory, according to local sources in Mongphen, on the Sino-Burma border.
The two were arrested on 28 May. One was identified as Sai Kyaw, an ethnic Wa and another was an ethnic Shan from Kengtung. Both were identified as members of the Mongyang police force, 102 km northeast of Kengtung, capital of Shan State East.
There are no details about where they are being detained since the Wa authorities took them in for interrogation, a source said.
Local villagers said, the two had been travelling in and out of the areas and asking for information of Wa movements; including questions such as how many Wa bases were in the area and how they were manned.
“They talked to us in Shan language. But villagers found it strange that they should ask about the Wa. Then some villagers remembered seeing them in Mongyang in police uniforms,” said another source.
Later, the two reportedly admitted that they were despatched by the military authorities to get information about the Wa’s bases, movements and preparations as well as about their men who were also arrested by the Wa authorities in 2009, whether they were still alive or not, a source said.
In late June 2009, two Burmese Army soldiers from Infantry Battalion (IB) #279 based in Mongyang were arrested for secretly entering Wa territory to monitor movements of Wa and its ally the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) better known as Mongla group. The two have not been released till now, according to local sources in Mongyang.
According to a border watcher and Sino-Burma border analyst the Burmese Army and the Wa still have little trust in each other, even though tensions between the two have eased. “The two still suspect each other and have ceased to contact each other, he said.
There has been little communication between the Burmese Army and the UWSA since Naypyitaw’s 28 April deadline for the Wa to transform itself into Burmese Army controlled Border Guard Force (BGF).
With regard to the current stalemate, Chinese officials were reported to have told the Wa and Mongla that they should keep communicating with the Burmese Army even though the two have not agreed to transform themselves into BGFs, a source from Mongla told SHAN.
“Keeping in touch with each other is better than not speaking to each other,” a source quoted Chinese officials as saying.
On 4 May, the Commander of the Northeastern Command Maj-Gen Aung Than Tut had reportedly invited the Wa to meet him in Lashio, Northern Shan State again, which was declined by the Wa.
The UWSA and NDAA, together with the bulk of the Shan State Army (SSA) North and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burmese Army have met several times over the Border Guard Force proposal in April 2009. The groups accepted the proposal in principle but refused to have junta officers running the show at battalion levels.
The groups submitted their counter proposals, which were turned down by Naypyitaw each time. They have at present decided to dismiss the BGF proposal until their autonomy calls, the right enshrined in the pre-independent Panglong Agreement, are answered.
