All ceasefire groups to surrender in 2009

Shan Herald Agency for News: All ceasefire groups to surrender in 2009: Shan State commander
Wed 3 Sep 2008
Filed under: News, Inside Burma
Gen. Yar Pyay, the Shan State military commander has said that ceasefire groups and local militia groups have to surrender in 2009 before the 2010 elections. He said this at a meeting with government servants in Ho Mueng. The meeting was held in the middle of August, said a border news source from Mae Hong Song.

“All ceasefire groups and militia groups must surrender in 2009. If the groups don’t want to surrender, they can emerge with Shan State Army- South of Col. Yward Serk,” said a Ho Mueng local.

The commander visited Ho Mueng region for reviewing the Thai-Burma border situation on August 18. He said this at the meeting with government staff on August 20 at the Sung Mauk (Park) meeting hall which was owned by the former MTA leader Khun Sa. Maha Jar, the SSS company chairman and Ho Mueng regional defence army leader, accompanied Gen. Yar Pyay on the tour. Maha Jar himself can not do anything about the matter of surrender, said Ho Mueng locals.

“Maha Jar doesn’t live in Ho Mueng. He mostly lives in Nam Zang. He has a house in Taung Gyi. His son, Khun Nu, has controlled the Ho Mueng defence army for 3 to 4 years. He seemed to be accompanied by the Gen. Yar Pyay because the SPDC commander would go to inspect hill no. 19 and 20 of his the army which is based opposite WNA (Wa National Army) headquarter at Loi Wahayt near the Thai border. The SPDC commander said that (Maha Jar) defence army at hill no. 19 and 20 would be replaced with the Burmese Army soon. Maha Jar would face difficulties, said a local driver.

Replacing 200 strong Maha Jar’s defence militias with the Burmese Army in this region was because the SPDC commander seemed to have doubts about secret connections between Maha Jar’s defence militias and WNA and SSA-s, said a Ho Mueng news source.

The Ho Mueng militias based on hill no. 19-20 was a battle filed where fighting between Loi Maw (SUA-Shan United Army) and Koumintang army (KMT) took place in 1985-86. Although government staff has worked in the Ho Mueng region after Khun Sa surrendered in 1996, Maha Jar’s militias group (under the name of local development army) had strong influence in the region. Ho Mueng became a sub township of Larn Khur district.

Gen. Yar Pyay, the middle Shan State commander, and his companies left for Taung Gyi on August 20.

Likewise, Gen. Aung Than Htut, the north eastern military commander, called representatives from Mahtu Naw led Kachin Democratic Army (KDA) based in Kaung Khar, Kut Khaing township, Lt. Moon led Want Pang militias (about 700-800 men) based in Tang Yang township and Law Mar led Mueng Ha militias (about 300-400 men) based in Mueng Rel township to Lasho and talked to them on August 24.

He explained to the representatives that if SSA-S (Shan State Army-South) penetrates to northern Shan State, those groups must be together with the Burmese Army. Therefore those groups should prepare and take training to be ready to fight and go to the front lines.

Gen. Kyaw Phyo, the commander of Triangle based in Keng Tung, visited the U Sai Linn led special 4 region (National Democracy Alliance Army - NDAA) headquarter in Mueng Lar. He told him about the transition of armed forces in 2009. The triangle commander said it was the order of the armed forces general headquarters from capital. “Gen. Kyaw Phyo who personally talked about his financial difficulty to leaders of Mueng Lar. Therefore leaders from Mueng Lar gave him 40-50 thousand Yuan as pocket money”, said a young Keng Tong who is close to the special 4 regional organization.

Gen. Kyaw Phyo said in a meeting that Col. Yard Serk’s SSA is the fence of Thailand when he toured Mueng Tong border region from August 16-18, 2008.

The triangle commander said that government officials and staff must not take bribes from smugglers and drug traffickers. If evidence is found those who take bribes will be removed. Although he said it, he himself took Kyat 38 lakh as bribe from UWSA’s 171 bridge. The UWSA bribed the commander in exchange of not to building an artillery camp in their rubber plantations. Local Wa leaders bribed o him on the day the new primary school was opened on August 18.