The placement of the Karen National Union (KNU) flag in front of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) military base located in Ba-Leh-Doon-Pite village in the Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) Township triggered a recent conflict according to the TPP Chair of the NMSP.

“Without any prior explanation and consultation, the KNU armed group came to place their flag in front of our sub-military base [office], which should not happen. The conflict has started from there,” said NMSP-TPP Chair Nai Arkar, to the Mon News Agency.

The NMSP sub-military base, where the skirmish occurred is located at the exit of the Ba-Leh-Doon-Pite village, which according to Nai Arkar is a government-designated NMSP base area. “It is not Karen village as the KNU- Win Yaw Township chair has said,” Nai Arkar continued.

However, according to the KNU-Win Yaw Township Chair, Padoh Saw Maung Shwe in an interview with KIC news, “the fight is believed to have erupted as our military could not accept the fact that the [military] from NMSP side removed the KNU flag without any explanation.”

As a result, a KNU armed group attacked two NMSP military bases on the morning of October 17th, leaving one NMSP military personnel dead.

The KNU Battalion 6 Chairperson meeting with the NMSP liaison office on October 18th, 2019 (photo: MNA)

Immediately following this deadly conflict, Padoh Saw Shwe Maung, a Chair with KNU Battalion 6 met with persons in-charge of the NMSP Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) liaison office to discuss the incident. The two sides will meet again soon to resolve the conflict.

This area has been subject to ongoing disputes. Earlier this year, the commanders from NMSP Battalion 5 and KNU Battalion 16, met on August 9th after KNU had set up its flag.

Outcomes from that meeting included, an understanding that when each armed group went on patrol, they should inform each other in advance.

It was also agreed that officials, in charge of territory from Ba-Leh-Doon-Pite [Mon village] and Tee Wadoh (Karen village) and the village heads would plant each side’s respective flags.

In 1995 during the ceasefire agreement between the Na Wa Ta- State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and again during the state/ union-level ceasefire agreement with the government in 2012, Ba-Leh-Doon-Pite village was designated as an NMSP’s permanent base area.