The Ta’ang National Liberation Army/Palaung State Liberation Front (TNLA/PSLF) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) have repeatedly clashed in northern Shan State over the past week.
On 4 May a post on the TNLA/PSLF Facebook page claimed that the TNLA had clashed five times with RCSS/SSA troops that day. They then reported that the two groups clashed eight more times on 5 May.
Reached for comment the TNLA’s spokesperson Mai Aik Kyaw claimed that both sides had suffered injuries during the clashes.
He said: “Fighting is widespread now. There is fighting going on in Namkham, Hsipaw, Namhsan, Kyaukme Townships,” he said.
On 1 May the RCSS/SSA released a statement that was critical of the TNLA. It said: “Launching an offensive against our army clearly shows their lack of will towards peaceful negotiations and finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
Both sides have indicated in public statements that they are willing to have talks, but these discussions have yet to take place. It remains unclear when or if talks will happen.
Colonel Sai La, a spokesperson of the RCSS/SSA, told SHAN that the RCSS welcomes outside mediation from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), the alliance of ethnic armed groups which the RCSS/SSA is not part of but of which the TNLA is a member.
Col. Sai La said: “When the statement from Pangsang, the headquarters of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) was released saying that they would negotiate between us. We were very pleased. We welcomed them to help us.”
He added: “We held a meeting on 26 April 2016 and sent letters to the UNFC, the UWSA and the NDAA. [The National Democratic Alliance Army, an ethnic armed organisation based in Mongla that has not been involved in clashes or signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement.] We want to solve the problem immediately. We want to solve the problem by peaceful means."
Col. Sai La explained that the RCSS has never thought of the TNLA as an enemy.
He said: “We live in the same state. We have helped each other when we faced difficulties. When problems happen, it’s not a good reason to solve these problems with armed force . . . We really hope to solve the problem with peaceful means.”
Mai Aik Kyaw, the TNLA spokesperson, told SHAN that because the TNLA leadership cannot travel freely they had asked the UNFC to find a place outside of Burma to hold the talks.
He said: The RCSS, have signed the peace agreement so they can go anywhere.”
He also said: “Right now, we have to solve the fighting issue. This is because the RCSS has entered our controlled areas and violated our people that’s why the fighting has happened. If we cannot solve this problem we cannot talk.”
On 2 May, the TNLA’s news and information department released a statement accusing the RCSS/SSA of violating human rights in Ta’ang controlled territory. The statement claimed that the TNLA/PLSF had received requests from people living in the area to “clear out the RCSS/SSA forces from the area, due to their widespread violations of human rights”.
The statement went on to accuse the RCSS/SSA of “intrusion” in TNLA areas and building camps in their territory.
Mai Aik Kyaw said: “We had never fought with the RCSS before. But, after they signed the NCA [National Ceasefire Agreement] they sent their troops into our territory.”
By Staff / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
