Burmese commander accuses Shan armies of undermining local development
Maj-Gen Than Hlaing, the commander
of Eastern Central Command, has accused two ethnic Shan armies – the
Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and the Restoration
Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) – of undermining local community
development, according to an official of the SSPP/SSA.
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| The SSPP/SSA soldiers |
Speaking to Shan Herald
under condition of anonymity, the SSPP/SSA official said that representatives
of his group had gone on Monday to a meeting with Maj-Gen Than Hlaing at the
Eastern Central Command headquarters in Kholam Township, southern Shan State.
He said that the Burmese military commander had bluntly alleged that due to the
actions of the SSPP/SSA and RCSS/SSA, the townships of Mong Nong and Kehsi were still underdeveloped.
“The way he [Maj-Gen Than Hlaing]
spoke was disrespectful,” the Shan army official said. “He accused us of
failing to follow the 2012 ceasefire accord, and he insinuated that we are
trying to expand our territory. He also called us ‘narrow-minded’.”
On the contrary, the SSPP/SSA official said, it is
in fact the Burmese military which has launched offensives against ethnic
people and expanded their positions into areas recognized as zones under the
control of ethnic armed groups.
Fighting has broken out
regularly in recent times between units of the Burmese armed forces and the
SSPP/SSA and RCSS/SSA. This year alone, clashes have occurred between Burmese troops and SSPP/SSA
forces in Mong Nong Township, while they have also
engaged with the RCSS/SSA in Hsipaw Township.
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| The RCSS/SSA soldiers march on the Shan National Day |
The SSPP/SSA official
said that the Shan armies were also accused of not following the Burmese
military’s so-called ‘Six-point Principles’* The Burmese commander reportedly emphasized
that the 2008 constitution was applicable to all parties, and reasserted that
the military will protect it.
The RCSS/SSA was not immediately
available for comment. The RCSS/SSA is one of eight ethnic armed groups which
signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with President Thein Sein in
October 2015.
The SSPP/SSA opted not to ink the NCA
in 2015. However, it has signed state-level and union-level ceasefire accords
with the government.
*The Burmese military’s
Six-point Principles are: to maintain a keen desire to reach eternal peace; to
keep promises agreed to in peace deals; to avoid capitalizing on the peace
agreement; to avoid placing a heavy burden on local people; to strictly abide by
existing laws; and to ‘march towards a democratic country’ in accordance with
the 2008 Constitution.
By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: News, War
