A clear “divide and conquer” policy of the USDP-Military regime has been employed, during its recent October offensive against the Shan State Progress Party/ Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), according to the SHAN report of 6 November.

The report said that no less than 1000 People's Militia troopers from the northern and southern Shan State were used by the Burma Army in its offensive against the SSPP/SSA, quoting a People's Militia commander, who refused to be named. Accordingly, 41 battles were fought between 2nd to 30th October.

The unnamed People's Militia commander said: “The southern militia groups have to contribute 50 troopers each and undergo military exercises. The northern groups have to contribute the same and the military training at Tang Yang township of Marn Kart. It is the sort of military training to attack and overrun enemies camps, after which they have to go to the front line.”

One SSA front line commander also confirmed that the usage of “Shan”, or better the “Tai”, language were heard within the enemy camp located opposite his camp and during the ensuring battles.

“When the Burma Army retrieves the corpses it only chooses the fallen Burmese soldiers and left out the People's Militia's bodies. Of all the nine bodies retrieved, not one single corpse of the People's Militia was included. Because of the stench, the villagers have to bury them, asking the buddhist monks to conduct the last religious rite”, said a village headman, who don't want to be known.

According to the report, the Lashio-based Light Infantry Divisions (LID), under North-eastern Command, LID 522, 240, 267, 147, 33 and the Nam San township, Kholam-based LID 296, 525, 575, 577, 569, 240 were involved, together with the People's Militia troops in their offensive against the SSPP/SSA garrisons of Ta Hpa Swang, Kong Ma Hin, Kong Sao Merng, Kong Mung Merng, Kong Mai Nyaung and Nam Puk.

To counter the Burma Army offensives, the SSA conducted ambushes against the Burmese troops and the militias that were active in the area of Mong Yai, Hsi-paw, Khesi and Mong Naung. These military engagements have caused heavy losses for both warring sides, but the tragedy is that four innocent civilians have also lost their lives and the SSA have to abandon Ta Hpa Swang outpost and Kong Mung Merng garrison.

Altogether 41 battles were fought during 2nd to 30th October, in which, according to the SSA source 5 Burmese soldiers were killed and 2 deaths from its own, SHAN source gathered that 16 Burmese soldiers were killed, while SSA suffered 3 deaths.

Although the government side has promised that its troops will withdraw from Ta Hpa Swang bridge, if the SSA move out, the Burmese troops were fortifying the garrison, by pressurring the civilians to dig trenches, strenthening and building living quarters. President Thein Sein has earlier said that both sides should leave the area, to resolve the conflict between the SSA and Burma Army, regarding the garrison of Ta Hpa Swang, which has been an ongoing dispute for quite a while, after the Burma Army demanded the withdrawal of the SSA from the area, which has its troops stationed for years ago.

The SSPP/SSA has signed a union-level ceasefire agreement, on 12 January 2012. But following the agreement, more than hundred of ceasefire violations or fire fights have occurred between the government and SSA troops, mainly due to the Burma Army's policy of “area-cleansing and control”, which it insists with the pretext of protecting the country's sovereignty or authority and rule over all the ethnic homelands, as its inalienable right, while the non-Burman ethnic nationalities see that sovereignty of their homelands is their given birthright and are only ready to agree on shared-sovereignty settlement, but not unquestioned surrender, as the Burmese regime would like to have it.

Because of such twisted argument, the Burma Army, posturing as the “bad-cop”, goes about with its military solution policy, mounting offensives after offensives, reinforcing troops and demanding “negotiated surrender” of the Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAO), during the ceasefire talks. In the meantime, the so-called reform faction of President Thein Sein, headed by U Aung Min in the ceasefire talks continues to play the “good-cop” role by shifting the blame on the unruly military faction or hardliners, headed by Commander-in-Chief, General Min Aung Hliang.

Whatever the case, the military solution is clearly on a quite high priority-setting and the escalation of armed conflict with SSPP/SSA, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), Ta-ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Kachin Independnece Organization/Army (KIO/KIA) are not isolated events, but a calculated move to send home the message that resistance to its “negotiated surrender” ploy would be met with military pressure, offensives and suppressions.
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The contributor is ex-General Secretary of the dormant Shan Democratic Union (SDU) — Editor