Talks between the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Laukkai, Shan State, aimed at resolving disputes between the former allies, have failed to produce any concrete results.
Talks began on March 17 in Laukkai, an MNDAA stronghold, but no effective solution had been reached after two days, according to TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo.
“At the moment, we have nothing to comment on. Our representatives who went to Laukkai have not yet returned. Our Vice Chairman 2 was among the delegation. We have nothing to say about the talks, and we do not know the exact position of the MNDAA,” Lway Yay Oo said on March 19.
To ease tensions between the two sides, a delegation led by TNLA Vice Chairman 2, Major General Tar Khu Lang, traveled to Laukkai and met with MNDAA leaders over two days.
Lway Yay Oo said the TNLA hopes to move toward a resolution of the current conflict with its former ally, depending on the outcome of the meeting in Laukkai.
“We have high hopes for the Laukkai talks. We want this conflict to end as a regrettable dispute between partners. That is why we are emphasizing the dialogue process,” she told Shan Herald.
Kutkai Town in northern Shan State, previously jointly controlled by the two groups, was fully taken over by the MNDAA on March 16, forcing TNLA troops to withdraw. Additionally, widespread reports indicated that the MNDAA was planning to attack TNLA-controlled towns of Namhkam and Namtu, prompting the TNLA to send a delegation to Laukkai.
Namhkam locals said that during the height of clashes in Kutkai Town, the TNLA removed items from its offices and equipment from the town hospital in Namhkam, but the TNLA denied the claims, saying that everything in the town remained normal.
“The fighting has calmed down in the past few days. Reports that our offices in Namhkam were evacuated are incorrect. We took some precautionary measures during the intense fighting on March 14 and 15. The situation is now calm, and the hospital has reopened. No offices have been evacuated,” Lway Yay Oo said.
During the two-day Kutkai clashes, 18 TNLA soldiers were injured and more than 100 were captured as prisoners of war (PoWs). In Kutkai, the Kokang armed group MNDAA reportedly detained and physically assaulted some Ta’ang people, the ethnic group aligned with the TNLA.
Lway Yay Oo confirmed that TNLA troops were captured during the fighting and that the MNDAA beat Ta’ang people.
The TNLA has appealed to both the Chinese government and the United Wa State Army (UWSA), chair of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), to mediate and help resolve the conflict with the MNDAA. The FPNCC is an alliance of seven ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) in Myanmar that seeks to negotiate with the junta.
On the morning of March 14, the MNDAA launched simultaneous attacks on TNLA positions in Mongsi, Namhpatkar, Loisamhsit, and Manpying villages in Kutkai Township, using drone strikes and artillery shelling, locals reported.
The Spring Revolution Alliance (SRA), the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), the Ta’ang Civil Society Network (TCSN), and several resistance groups have issued statements calling for dialogue rather than armed means to resolve the conflict between the TNLA and MNDAA.
