Yawdserk, leader of the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), has dismissed allegations made through the Thai media that he is supporting the pro-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), better known as the Red Shirts.

“I’m not taking sides in Thailand’s internal affairs,” he said on Saturday, 15 March, in response to the question posed by SHAN. “I already have more than enough trouble handling our country’s own internal affairs.”

One reason for the confusion, according to one of his deputies, is that he has friends on both opposing camps. “We are therefore asking them to hold dialogue with each other like we are doing in Burma now,” he said.

One Thai security official also brushed off the “support-Red Shirt” report saying, “Yawdserk would have to be crazy to take sides since the survival of his bases on the Thai border rests on the Thai army’s tolerance.”

This is not the first time he has been accused of taking sides in Thai politics. Since protests against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra began 8 years earlier, supporters of each opposing camp have claimed his backing. “It probably started with Thais of Shan descent on each side, who are also championing his cause at the same time,” said the security official.